Leeds United snubbed the chance to sign potential Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres before he made the switch to Sporting CP.
Gyokeres shone at Coventry City in the 2022/23 season after his loan from Brighton became a permanent deal in 2021. His impressive form caught the attention of several teams, including Leeds United, who were in the Premier League at the time.
Victor Orta, the former director of football at Leeds, revealed to Portuguese newspaper Record that he decided against tabling an £11.7 million bid for Gyokeres while at City. He instead chose to break the bank for Georginio Rutter from TSG Hoffenheim with a record £36m fee.
Orta said: "When I was at Leeds United I didn't want to give €14m for him. Cases like that of Gyökeres are the good surprises that football gives us, those things that we cannot measure."
Despite leading Coventry to the play-off final, where they were edged out by Luton Town for promotion to the Premier League, Gyokeres did make a move in the 2022/23 season. He took his talents to Portugal rather than Leeds, penning a five-year contract with Sporting for a club-record £16.7m (€20m).
Coventry benefited too, pocketing a sell-on fee, now at five per cent, and Gyokeres' release clause was set at a hefty £83.5m (€100m) - meaning the likely cost to Leeds is north of £70m. That's because moving to Portugal, the Swedish striker has been on fire, scoring 66 goals in 68 games and providing 19 assists.
Gyokeres is sending shockwaves through the football world with his lethal finishing, sparking interest from United as former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim makes his way to English shores to take over the Red Devils. Despite the buzz around a potential Manchester move, the 26-year-old remained elusive about the speculation.
Speaking last week, Gyokeres said: "He probably has some strikers there already, so we'll see. No, he hasn't [asked me to join him]. It's fun but nothing I attach any importance to because it's talk and nothing concrete."
Before Amorim's departure, Gyokeres gifted his old manager a stellar send-off by netting a hat-trick in Sporting's shock 4-1 demolition of Man City in the Champions League.
Whether or not Gyokeres teams up with Amorim again in Manchester soon, Leeds have been left to rue missing out on snapping him up during his Coventry days.