Arsenal have been handed a potentially significant boost in the reported pursuit of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres following the announcement of sporting director Dan Ashworth's departure from rivals Manchester United - which was confirmed on Sunday morning.
The Gunners are among a number of top clubs to be linked with the 26-year-old frontman, who has already scored 25 goals across all competitions this season. The Sweden international previously played in England at Brighton and Coventry City, but joined Sporting for a fee of €24m in 2023.
Gyokeres has also been heavily linked with Premier League rivals United, not least because former Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim recently replaced Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout. However, the club's hierarchy has been thrown into chaos this weekend, amid their announcement sporting director Ashworth has vacated his position after just five months.
United released a brief statement on Sunday morning confirming the news. "Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement," it read. "We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future."
Ashworth joined the Red Devils from Newcastle United in July after spending a number of months on gardening leave. He was heavily involved in their summer recruitment, which included the arrivals of Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
The decision comes after United's 3-2 home defeat against Nottingham Forest in the league on Saturday evening. Amorim's side are 13th in the standings with just five wins from their 15 games this season.
Gyokeres represented Brighton between 2018 and 2021 - although he did have a number of loan spells during that time. Ashworth was technical director of the south coast club for a portion of those years, which could have given United an upper hand in negotiations if a battle for his signature were to commence in the summer.
Ashworth's exit will also create a level of uncertainty around what is already a very new senior structure, and it is not yet known who will be responsible for facilitating transfers moving forward. However, it is also worth noting Arsenal themselves are undergoing a similar change following former sporting director Edu's shock exit last month.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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