Manchester United have held concrete talks to sign one of Sporting CP’s best players next summer.
The Red Devils have had a good start under new manager Ruben Amorim. They have picked up two wins and one draw from their first three games.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have impressed up front with two goals apiece while Marcus Rashford has fared better with three goals.
Despite this, Amorim has his sights on a reunion with Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Sky Sport Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg claims that United have held ‘initial concrete talks’ regarding Gyokeres ahead of a potential summer move.
The Red Devils are ‘now fully involved’ in the transfer race, but would require player sales to afford the Sweden international at the end of the season.
United are set to face stiff competition from Manchester City with future director of football Hugo Viana pushing hard in the pursuit of the marksman.
Viana will leave Sporting CP for City next summer and he is aiming to bring Gyokeres alongside him.
United can’t afford to lose Gyokeres to Man City
Gyokeres joined Sporting CP from Coventry in the summer of 2023. He had an exceptional debut campaign with 43 goals and 15 assists from 50 outings.
Despite his exploits, there were no clubs prepared to trigger his £83 million release clause.
The Swede has continued to shine this campaign with 24 goals and four assists from 21 games. He looks destined to consider a bigger challenge next summer.
The striker has a gentleman’s agreement to leave Sporting CP for £63m and it appears a no-brainer decision for United to sign him ahead of other suitors.
Amorim has a strong bond with the 26-year-old and he could persuade him to move to Old Trafford.
However, United can’t take things lightly. Viana played a big role in bringing him to Lisbon in the first place. City could be a tempting destination for Gyokeres too.
The Red Devils need to be pro-active to ensure that City don’t beat them to his signature.
If United were to sign Gyokeres, it could coincide with the departure of Zirkzee.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com