Manchester United and Manchester City may be bitter rivals, but the Red Devils are likely to win a major transfer battle—ironically, partly thanks to their local nemesis.
According to a new report, **[Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyökeres](https://www.theweek.in/news/sports/2025/06/08/football-viktor-gyokeres-transfer-news-ruben-amorim-s-disciple-to-ditch-manchester-united-for-arsenal-unless-benjamin-sesko.html)** is set to reject offers from Arsenal and Juventus in favour of Manchester United, one of his aides reportedly told a football news outlet. Among the many reasons is the presence of a close friend in the other part of the city.
That friend is none other than City’s ace striker Erling Haaland, SportBible said in a report. According to the source who spoke to the outlet, Gyökeres draws confidence from Haaland's presence in the same English city as he prepares to relocate to a new country.
Viktor Gyökeres hails from Sweden while Haaland is from Norway. The neighbouring countries share a border of about 1,600 km, and one can drive, take a train, or fly between Oslo and Stockholm in just a few hours. Interestingly, if the transfer does take place, the two Scandinavian strikers could end up competing against each other for the Premier League Golden Boot next season.
According to the report, the relationship between Gyökeres and Sporting has soured, as the 27-year-old is unhappy with the lack of action from the club to facilitate his transfer. Irritated by the higher-ups’ failure to honour a verbal agreement made months ago, Gyökeres has reportedly communicated that he will not wear the club’s jersey ever again, SportBible said.
The striker has scored 97 goals for the Lisbon club, with the lion’s share coming during current Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim’s tenure at the helm of the Portuguese side.
How much money will Manchester United pay for new striker?
While the Portuguese champions had earlier agreed that Gyökeres could leave for a fee of €60 million plus €10 million in add-ons—significantly lower than his €100 million release clause—latest reports suggest that Manchester United may now need to spend no less than €80 million to secure him. Offloading Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho could enable United to offer a more convincing deal, potentially positioning Gyökeres as the club’s undisputed lead striker.
Meanwhile, Haaland is said to have signed the longest contract in Premier League history in January 2025. His new deal will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2034—approximately nine and a half to ten years from its signing. His base salary is reportedly £500,000 per week, making him the highest-paid player in the English top tier.