Viktor Gyokeres had looked to have ruled out a move to Manchester United after their Champions League failure - putting Arsenal in pole position - but the Sporting Lisbon star may have had a change of heart
Victor Gyokeres looks to have changed his tune and is now open to a move to Manchester United - despite them not having Champions League football - which was believed to have been a determining factor.
The Swede has long been expected to leave Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal had been seen as his most likely destination if he did head to the Premier League. But now a reunion with Ruben Amorim could be on the cards, reports talkSPORT.
No formal talks have been held between those in Manchester and Sporting bosses, but the Red Devils' pursuit of a new striker is well documented. The Portuguese side want around £60million for Gyökeres - which is a £25m reduction on his £85m release clause.
Gyokeres has a verbal agreement in place with Sporting allowing him to leave for less after he chose to stay in Lisbon last summer. Arsenal, like United, are in the market for a new frontman after opting against signing a new No 9 for several windows.
Mirror Football understands that Arsenal are prioritising Benjamin Sesko, though. Arsenal's sporting director Andrea Berta has been negotiating with representatives of both players and their respective clubs simultaneously as the Gunners seek the best deal. However, the decision among the club’s hierarchy is to push forward with their swoop for the RB Leipzig forward, rather than Gyokeres.
That would leave the Swede, who scored more than 50 times in all competitions, looking for a new buyer. Several of Europe's top clubs are not looking to add a striker which means, even for a player of his quality, options may be limited.
Amorim was the man who signed Gyokeres after he impressed in the Championship with Coventry City, later helping him become one of Europe's most prolific strikers. The United boss has just missed out on Liam Delap, who chose to join Chelsea, leaving him to review other options. Matheus Cunha has already been signed for £62.5m.
The 27-year-old has just helped Sporting claim the domestic double and has remained tight-lipped on his future. He said: “Let us see. It’s hard for me to say, because yeah it is football and you never know what’s going to happen in the summer. So for me to say anything else than that is impossible.”
Gyokeres was asked specifically about the possibility of joining Arsenal and added: “I don’t know, I just focus on this. I’ve tried to focus on the last games because it’s so important and I don’t want to think about anything else. So yeah, if anything is true, let’s see in the summer.”