Viktor Gyokeres’ agent claims he turned down eight Premier League clubs last summer to sign for Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim – the man whom he was convinced would take the striker to the next level after leaving Coventry City.

Hasan Cetinkaya says he and the Sky Blues had eight ‘concrete proposals’ that guaranteed ‘more money, more commissions and higher transfer value’ for the 25-year-old but he advised him to turn everything down to move to work with the Portuguese coach who has been linked with Liverpool this week, tipped to be Jurgen Klopp’s replacement in the summer.

The agent travelled to Portugal at the weekend to take in Sporting’s top of the table clash with Benfica and to discuss the player’s future. Gyokeres has been a sensation at the club where he’s scored 36 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions to spark interest from a host of clubs again this coming summer. The player has a 100m Euro release clause, while Coventry will benefit from a sell-on fee if and when he moves.

In an interview with Lisbon-based outlet Record, Cetinkaya was asked about the plans for the Sweden international’s future, to which he answered: “Before answering that question, I would like to go back in time a little, because there are many people who continue to ask me why I brought Viktor to Sporting. Because everyone was shocked by this. “Everyone was waiting for Viktor to sign with a Premier League club. And the answer to that question is that I brought Viktor to Sporting for just one reason, and this is also something I said to Mr Amorim when I saw him for the first time, and I said it before I even said hello to him: I only brought my player here because of you.

“Eight Premier League clubs presented Coventry and me with specific proposals that promised more money, more commissions, and a higher transfer value than Sporting,” he continued. I turned down every request and informed Viktor that Sporting was our next stop. He is really kind, has faith in my abilities as a businessman, and said, “No problem, I’ll go wherever you tell me,” right away. Thus, Rúben Amorim played a crucial role in Viktor’s decision to move closer to Sporting.

When questioned about the significance of Rúben Amorim in this choice, he gave the following explanation: “I have followed Rúben since he was at Sp. Braga.” His methods with the players were known to me. I was aware that he had played for Benfica.