Manchester United is reportedly exploring the possibility of a player-plus-cash exchange to finalize the transfer of Victor Gyokeres.
The Red Devils welcomed new head coach Ruben Amorim to the club earlier this week with their continued talk the 39-year-old can convince Gyokeres - ranked at no.7 in FourFourTwo's list of the best strikers in the world right now - to swap Portugal for England in the summer.
It is thought any deal would take a huge sum given the goalscoring exploits seen by the Sweden international already this summer, with the perfect leverage already being offered up by Manchester United.
Manchester United will offer Joshua Zirkzee for Victor Gyokeres in order to secure a transferAccording to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by Caught Offside, the Red Devils are willing to offer Joshua Zirkzee plus a further cash sum in order to help sweeten the deal for Gyokeres in 2025.
Gyokeres is under contract at Sporting until 2028 and Championship side Coventry City also has a 10% sell-on fee from any profit above the price they earned from his sale.
Arsenal are also mentioned in the report as being an interested party, with it well known that Mikel Arteta would like to bring a new striker to the Emirates in order to help provide competition for Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
Manchester United does still appear as the most likely destination for Gyokeres, especially given La Liga giants Barcelona also ruled themselves out of the race this week, following comments from their sporting director Deco.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Sporting president Frederico Varandas has also cleared up rumours the talented 26-year-old will leave in January, noting that if the correct fee arrives, there is nothing he can do.
“I can’t promise anything. If a club arrives and pays the release clause if he wants to go… he will go”. “But I do not think this will happen in January”, he added.
In FourFourTwo's view, Gyokeres is most likely to leave Portugal in the summer but just where remains the biggest question. Manchester United do look to be leading the pursuit and given Amorim's arrival, that could sway the transfer further in their favour.
Manchester United are back in Premier League action next weekend, as they take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road.