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Manchester United’s next centre forward will not be Viktor Gyokeres, according to a new report from Portugal.
United’s part-owners INEOS have been reportedly desperate to reunite head coach Ruben Amorim with his former protégé at Sporting CP, who has become one of the most coveted strikers in the world following two seasons in which he scored 43 and 57 goals for the Lisbon outfit.
However, Record (today’s paper edition, page 17) claim that the dream signing is not going to happen.
“The footballer’s agents have officially told Ruben Amorim’s club that he is no longer an option for the striker,” the outlet reports.
“United made several contacts over the last week, as we wrote, but with Arsenal’s advance, this possibility lost strength and, in the last few hours, it has fallen away completely.
“…The Red Devils made an offer to the Swede but did not present arguments capable of convincing him. Gyökeres prefers Arsenal, who are preparing a second offer, after Sporting rejected 55+10.
“Although they had not completely ruled out United up until this stage, the player’s representatives never considered the Manchester club as a priority option.”
Whilst Record are not considered to be among the very top sites in Portugal for transfer news, the confidence with which the article is written certainly suggests that they are sure of their facts.
Record cite doubts over whether United will be able to stump up the €80 million that will now be demanded by Sporting, their lack of Champions League football, “the transformation process that the club is going through and the greater sporting risk” as reasons behind the decision.
They end by saying that the door to Old Trafford is “definitively” closed and that “the dream destination is really the Emirates.”
If true, the news means United will have to look elsewhere for a striker this summer, or do without. Options still available are Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, free agent Jonathan David, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
It is of course possible that Gyokeres’ agent has leaked this as fake news in order to thwart Sporting in their attempts to create a bidding war and renege on their gentleman’s agreement to sell the Swede for a flat €60m plus €10m in bonuses this summer.
By giving Arsenal a free run, it severely weakens president Frederico Varandas’ hand in this high-stakes game of transfer poker and may therefore force him to climb down from his lofty demands.
It is a dangerous game to play, however. Arsenal still reportedly have RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as their top priority and if that deal goes through, both Sporting and Gyokeres could be left with egg on their faces.
Featured image Carlos Rodrigues via Getty Images
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