Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres has made it clear he wants to play Premier League football next season.
With United, Liverpool and Arsenal all thought to have shown a keen interest in the former Coventry City man, just where the talented Swede does end up – currently ranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best strikers in the world right now – remains something of a mystery.
With a release clause of just shy of £90 million, clubs across England have been placed on high alert, with Gyokeres admitting himself he wishes to move from Sporting, in order to take the next step in his football career.
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With Manchester United and Arsenal chasing, where will Viktor Gyokeres end up this summer?
Sporting president Frederico Varandas has issued a bold statement on the matter, insisting the transfer fee they want to receive for Gyokeres remains the biggest sticking point.
To this point, his current club have reaffirmed they have received no formal bids from any clubs for their top scorer, and that if talks are to begin, his value will far exceed £75m.
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said, as relayed by the BBC earlier today. “To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.
“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas. “He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.
“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m euros or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100m euros.'”
In FourFourTwo’s view, a move to Manchester United makes the most sense, given Arsenal seem to be closing in on a deal for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
That, however, will all rely on how much money the Red Devils can sign off sales for Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho. Transfermarkt values the quartet at a neat sum of £134m.
