Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres has been linked with joining Manchester United
Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for Viktor Gyokeres, but the Sporting CP striker almost signed for a different club.
Since his £16million (€20m) transfer from Coventry City to the Portuguese heavyweights in 2023, Gyokeres has become one of Europe's top strikers. The 26-year-old has netted an incredible 77 goals in 85 matches, propelling Sporting to the Primeira Liga title last season.
With United's attack struggling and Gyokeres' existing relationship with new manager Ruben Amorim, the Swedish striker is widely expected to be a key target in the summer transfer window. It has been a whirlwind few years for Gyokeres, whose Sporting contract includes a £83m (€100m) buyout clause.
Proving to be far from a one-season wonder in Portugal, the forward has scored 34 goals in 35 this term, including a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City. However, Gyokeres' career could have easily headed in a different direction when he started attracting attention from other clubs in a Coventry shirt.
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"Viktor Gyokeres' agent told me I was the only French sporting director who called him when he was at Coventry," Brest's sporting director Gregory Lorenzi revealed to L'Equipe. "I was willing to pay €4-5m (£3.3-4.1m), but the asking price was €8m (£6.6m)."
This would likely have been after Gyokeres' first full season with Coventry in 2022, when he scored 18 goals in all competitions. The following year, his 22-goal haul helped Mark Robins' side reach the play-off final, heartbreakingly missing out on Premier League promotion in a penalty shootout. That summer, Gyokeres moved to Sporting for more than double his previous valuation.
Brest and Lorenzi would be forgiven for kicking themselves after missing the chance to sign Gyokeres for such a steal, even though the French team still managed to secure a Champions League spot after finishing third in Ligue 1 last season. The forward's initial £6.6m (€8m) price tag is a world away from the hefty release clause in his current contract, but United might not have to fork out the full sum.
Ruben Amorim with Viktor Gyokeres
Ruben Amorim with Viktor Gyokeres ( Image: Joao Rico/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
It has been reported that United may be able to land their man for £60m as Sporting are resigned to losing their star striker in the summer. This could be good news for United, but the reduced fee could also alert other clubs, and the potential lack of European football next season could hinder Amorim's team.
Gyokeres' goal record this season is far superior to United forwards Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund's combined total of 12. United brought in full-back Patrick Dorgu in the January window but took a measured approach to recruitment as they navigated financial regulations.
When Amorim was on his way to Old Trafford, the former Sporting coach insisted he would not buy any of his old squad in the January window, and he stuck by his word. However, the manager did hint at Gyokeres' possible availability. "Viktor has to stay until the end of the season, and then his life maybe is going somewhere else," he said back in November.
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