Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with a move for Viktor Gyokeres.Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with a move for Viktor Gyokeres.
Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with a move for Viktor Gyokeres. | Manchester United via Getty Imag
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim could still steal in for a reunion with the Sporting CP striker.
Arsenal have scheduled formal talks with Sporting CP talisman Viktor Gyokeres ahead of a potential summer move as incoming technical director Andrea Berta looks to solve the striking problem at the Emirates Stadium.
Recruiting a goalscorer is a top priority for Arsenal this summer having struggled without the injured Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus this year. Several names have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, including Newcastle United man Alexander Isak, but Gyokeres is another tipped for a Premier League move.
This week, Portuguese news outlet Correio da Manha claimed that the Gunners are making active moves to sound out a transfer swoop for Gyokeres, who has an £83 million release clause in his Sporting contract. The article reports that Arsenal have made an appointment to have a ‘formal meeting’ with the player’s agent, who is said to be a close friend of Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal schedule Viktor Gyokeres talks
Gyokeres has bagged 40 goals already this season in just 41 appearances and is one of the most prolific goalscorers on the continent. The former Coventry City man also plundered 43 goals last season and has been labelled as a ‘top player’ by Arsenal man David Raya.
Before playing Sporting CP in the Champions League, the shot-stopper said: "We know his strengths, how he runs a lot in behind and scores a lot in one v. one, and he is a top player in form. We are going to try and keep him very, very quiet. Don't give him any chances. We have to step up defensively. Hopefully we can do a great job and keep a clean sheet."
Arsenal appear to be frontrunners for a deal with talks already scheduled, but in his GiveMeSport newsletter, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has refused to rule Manchester United out of the running. Gyokeres of course worked with Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim in Portugal and has a close relationship with the coach.
Fabrizio Romano confirms Man Utd ‘obviously’ like Sporting CP striker
When asked whether Manchester United were still monitoring Gyokeres, Romano said: “There is nothing fresh in terms of contact with and for Sporting players. They obviously like Gyokeres, but it will be an open race.”
There's a famous alchemy between Gyokeres and Amorim, with the striker excelling under the manager in Portugal. Gyokeres signed for Sporting from Coventry City in July 2023 and the player's agent Hasan Cetinkaya has been outspoken in the fact that Amorim was the reason that deal happened. He told Portuguese outlet Record: "Everyone was waiting for Viktor to sign with a Premier League club.
“I brought Viktor to Sporting for just one reason, and this is also something I said to Mr Amorim when I saw him for the first time. I said it before I even said hello to him: 'I only brought my player here because of you'. Therefore, I only brought Gyokeres to Sporting because of Ruben Amorim.
"There were eight Premier League clubs who made concrete proposals to Coventry and me, which guaranteed more money, more commissions and a higher transfer value than Sporting. I said no to everyone and told Viktor that Sporting was our next destination."
In other news, Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has teased huge injury news in a cryptic social media post.