Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres
Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres (Image: Getty Images)
Everyone in the Premier League is aware that Manchester United are in desperate need of at least one striker this summer before the new campaign begins.
This season, the strikeforce of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee was always going to be a risk and it proved to be one which backfired. Having failed to reach double figures in the Premier League, combined, the lack of goals in this squad is a huge problem and one which even Ruben Amorim has addressed publicly.
As we enter July on Tuesday, United edge closer to the return of pre-season and all the perils that come with that. The plan would have been, and still is, to sign a striker preferably before the clash with Leeds on July 19 or, at the very least, before the start of the Premier League campaign against Arsenal less than a month later.
In an ideal world, the man Amorim would target for that position is Viktor Gyokeres and, on the surface, the Swede seems like a sensible bet. He wants to leave Sporting Lisbon this summer, has scored bags of goals and has a pre-exisiting relationship with Amorim in this system.
However, the reality makes a move for him a lot more difficult. Over the weekend, United were inadvertently drawn into the saga when Sporting's president Frederico Varandas took a dig at their business to try and justify his price tag for the striker.
"We have been watching the market and I saw [Martin] Zubimendi, who is six months younger than Viktor, leave for €65million (£55.5m)", he explained. "I saw Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, both forwards but who, in my opinion, do not have Viktor's market value or quality, being negotiated for around €75million (£64m).
"Given the demands we consider fair, I believe Viktor could leave – unless he has the worst agent in the world, which is hard for me to believe, because he is one of the best footballers in the world." Varandas has previously stated that a fee of more than £70m will be needed to see them part ways with their striker.
Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres (Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images.)
Record has since reported that Gyokeres has sent a text message to Varandas expressing his outrage and insisting that he will not be returning to Sporting next month for the start of pre-season. While it may seem that United are edging closer to seeing Sporting buckle, they cannot afford to waste time.
The pre-season fixtures will be upon us before we know it and already the teams that should be United's rivals are completing their big business. Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea have all made key signings and you feel that United could be left at a disadvantage if they are sucked into a saga that currently has little to do with them.
That is not to say that United should be rushing their business. For instance, although Dominic Calvert-Lewin is free, he is not necessarily the answer to United's problems.
But they should be looking at other centre-forward targets who they could sign quickly to help bolster this squad. Gyokeres would be an ideal signing for United but if they are not willing to match the current asking price, the Reds need to move on instead of clutching to the hope that the Portuguese giants will alter their stance.
Failure to do this could lead to United slipping behind their rivals.
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