Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres is involved in an ongoing dispute with Sporting Lisbon about the terms of his exit.
Viktor Gyokeres is open to joining Manchester United and it feels inevitable that the 27-year-old will eventually leave Sporting Lisbon, but not as easily as he initially hoped.
After staying loyal to the Portuguese outfit last season, Viktor Gyokeres believed there was a gentleman’s agreement in place allowing him to leave for an offer of €70m (£60m).
However, Gyokeres is ready to go on strike after Sporting’s president claimed no such agreement was made.
Gyokeres is now pushing Sporting to accept €75m bids this summer, but a financial breakdown shows that the Portuguese club have no choice but to raise the price tag.
Viktor Gyokeres celebrating in a Sporting CP shirt
Photo by CARLOS COSTA/AFP via Getty Images
How much Sporting will earn from selling Viktor Gyokeres
Given that Gyokeres scored 54 goals in all competitions last season, it’s easy to see why Sporting are holding out for a bigger fee – even if it upsets the player.
However, even if a club agrees to pay a higher fee, the amount that Sporting actually receive is shockingly low.
Portuguese outlet A Bola have created a financial breakdown of a Gyokeres sale, and it reveals just how a transfer fee would be sliced up.
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As part of the deal to sign Gyokeres from Coventry City, the English club will receive 10 percent from a sell-on clause. An additional 10 percent of the fee will go to Gyokeres’ agent Hasan Cetinkaya as part of a controversial clause agreed with Sporting.
Gyokeres still has an accounting value of €15m (£13m) which will be deducted, as well as a five percent ‘solidarity mechanism’.
Ultimately, Sporting would only receive a fraction of the transfer fee, which will also likely be spread over multiple years. All that for the cost of losing their most prized asset – it’s easy to see why Sporting are sticking to their asking price.
Man United’s best chance of signing Viktor Gyokeres
With reports that Gyokeres prefers a move to Arsenal this summer, United’s chances of signing the Swedish striker are drastically dropping.
However, with Gyokeres in an ongoing dispute with Sporting, it seems Arsenal are happy to be patient until the asking price drops.
United are in the same boat, and with a limited budget this summer, meeting Sporting’s £80m asking price is unrealistic.
READ MORE: Viktor Gyokeres’ key weakness is something Ruben Amorim would need to ‘eliminate’ if Man Utd signed Sporting striker
But if United plan on beating Arsenal to Gyokeres’ signature, their best chance is to move quickly and take advantage of the ongoing feud between club and player.
Ruben Amorim wants new signings to arrive before the pre-season tour of the United States and time is ticking. If Ineos can get a few sales over the line, United could re-join the race for Gyokeres.