Viktor Gyokeres still remains one of the most sought-after talents in European football.
The former Coventry City man – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best strikers in the world right now – has smashed in 32 goals already this season and looks likely to be on the move this summer.
Clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have all been linked with the Sweden international but it is his former links with Ruben Amorim that mean the Red Devils are seemingly leading the chance to land him in 2025 – or are they?
Manchester United have funds to be raised, in order to land Viktor Gyokeres
Manchester United have problems in attack. Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are failing to find the net regularly, hence why links with Gyokeres make perfect sense.
But given that both players are still relatively young and inexperienced with Premier League demands, owners INEOS may yet snub a move for Sporting’s main man, given the outlay they have already committed to in other areas of the pitch.
“Signing a No.9 is a possibility,” transfer expert and journalist Ben Jacobs told FourFourTwo exclusively on January 13, when asked about Manchester United’s striker situation. “Joshua Zirkzee wants to fight his way into regular starting minutes and win over any critics, so scoring the winning penalty against Arsenal in the FA Cup is a big boost to his confidence after being subbed off against Newcastle United after only 30 minutes or so.
“But Zirkzee doesn’t want to go despite interest from Juventus: he wants to stay and prove his critics wrong. But Manchester United might still be in for another forward, and of course, for the summer, people will naturally link them with Viktor Gyokeres because of the Ruben Amorim links.
“At the moment, that’s bit premature. There’s been no outreach to Sporting yet, but what we can say is that Gyokeres price has dropped from his €100 million release clause down to something in the region of €70m.
“So he is a bit more affordable and certainly has lower wages and agent fees compared to another historical Manchester United target in Victor Osimhen, but they might look for something more economical or potentially within the Premier League.
In FourFourTwo’s view, Gyokeres would be a landmark addition for Manchester United this year but we just don’t know if INEOS will sign off on the move. Amorim needs players all over the pitch and whether they do in fact go for someone with a little bit more experience in the Premier League remains to be seen.
Manchester United are in Premier League action on Thursday, as they take on Southampton at Old Trafford.
