Alan Shearer has weighed in on the transfer tussle for former Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, suggesting Manchester United could still secure his signature despite a fraught transfer saga.
The Red Devils have been consistently linked with the Sporting Lisbon forward after their struggles to find the net last term.
The speculation ramped up with the appointment of former Sporting manager Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta's leadership, are also said to be keen on bolstering their attack with Gyokeres.
Sharing his insights with Betfair, Shearer commented: "They've got Matheus Cunha in and we're going to see a big turnover of players in the next two months at United. They have to get a number of players out, and to do that they have to get a number of players in for that club to have a refresh.
"It's been so bad for so long, but everything came together in a bad way which they didn't want to see this season for Man United. It's a huge pre-season for them in terms of who they're getting in and out.
"The Bryan Mbeumo transfer isn't done yet and I know that other clubs were in for him including Newcastle. Whether Spurs try to hijack that if they get Thomas Frank in, which it seems that'll be the case.", reports the Mirror.
Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP is interviewed after being awarded the PlayStation Player of the Match award at the end of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Manchester City
(Image: David Ramos/UEFA via Getty Images)
"On Viktor Gyokeres, I'm not surprised at all if they get him because of his work with Sporting and Ruben Amorim before, I think that was always going to be the case.
"They're not in Europe this year, they're not in the Champions League and they're going to have to pay huge wages to get the players and tempt them away from other clubs that are going to be interested in them."
Gyokeres' future has taken several turns recently as both United and Arsenal battle it out to secure his signature.
It's been reported earlier that the player was considering extreme measures, such as striking, to force a departure from Sporting after promises regarding a transfer fee apparently changed.
Subsequently, Sporting Lisbon's president Frederico Varandas spoke out, asserting that the club will not succumb to pressure to sell their prized forward.
Gyokeres himself has now commented on the swirling speculation, issuing a pointed statement via social media.
In a message on Instagram, Gyokeres expressed: "There is a lot of talk at the moment, most of it is false. I will speak when the time is right."