2 days Ago By [email protected] (Dan Marsh)
Manchester United will make an approach to sign Viktor Gyokeres this month rather than wait until the summer. The Sporting Lisbon striker, 26, was always likely to attract interest from his former boss, Ruben Amorim , after he was appointed as United's new head coach back in November. But a move for the Sweden star was pencilled in for the summer, not now.
Those plans have changed , though. Amorim has told United's powerbrokers that they need to sign Gyokeres now given their struggles in the Premier League , say The Star . Manchester United are 14th in the table after losing their last three league games and look short on firepower.
But even if they can find the cash they need to trigger Gyokeres' £80million-plus release clause, it remains to be seen if he will fancy the move. The former Coventry City man has grown into one of Europe's most sought-after strikers since moving on from the Championship and is believed to boast several high-profile suitors. January is a notoriously difficult time to extract players, so it's practically a given that Gyokeres will have more choice over his next move in the summer.
And with United currently looking highly unlikely to qualify for Europe at all, Gyokeres would potentially be giving up European football next season should he opt to leave Sporting in January. To that end, his stance on leaving Sporting mid-season is currently unclear. While Sporting have already parted company with Amorim's successor , Joao Pereira, they are still top of the Portuguese league and on track to progress in the Champions League .
Join the debate! Would Gyokeres be a good signing for Man Utd? Let us know here Former Arsenal midfielder Anders Limpar previously referenced the fact that Gyokeres would probably have his pick of clubs if he does hold out until the end of the season. "We have to remember that the Portuguese league is inferior to the Premier League, but when Manchester City came to visit Lisbon, he scored a hat-trick, so he’s fully capable of scoring in England," Limpar said back in November after tipping him to join Arsenal. "He has played for Coventry and scored goals, he knows the English mentality.
I think his next step is to play in the Premier League and he can really choose which team he wants to play in." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
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