Manchester United are set to rival Arsenal for Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres, talkSPORT understands.
Ruben Amorim is pushing for the striker as he looks to remodel Man United’s attack with the Red Devils also set to sign Wolves star Matheus Cunha with personal terms expected to be agreed with the Brazilian this week.
However, Gyokeres is thought to be top of Arsenal’s wanted list this summer.
talkSPORT reported in March that Sporting are willing to sell their star man for around £58.5m, around £25m below his release clause.
Gyokeres secured the Primeira Liga title over the weekend with Sporting, scoring his 39th league goal of the campaign.
The striker is on track to win the European Golden Boot, reaching the 53-goal mark this season across all competitions.
Speaking to the media after Sporting’s title triumph, the 26-year-old didn’t give much away when asked about his future.
“It’s football, I’m still here,” said Gyokeres.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nobody can predict the future.”
But his teammate, Pedro Goncalves, implied during Sporting’s title celebrations that Gyokeres is expected to be on the way out.
“They say we will never be three-time champions without Gyokeres… let’s see,” Goncalves said, before dropping the microphone.
The Swede’s return to the Premier League seems imminent.
He previously played for Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Coventry City before joining Sporting for a record fee of €20m in July 2023.
While the 26-year-old is priority target for Gunner boss Mikel Areta, Gyokers, he has history with United’s head coach who was manager at Sporting until November 2024.
Amorim will be keen on building up his striking options in the off-season with Man United experiencing a dismal campaign.
The 13-time Premier League champions sit in 16th position, with Amorim only having won 24 points in 26 games.
Ahead of the Europa League final on Wednesday where Amorim’s men will face Tottenham Hotspur, former United defender Rio Ferdinand spoke with Hawksbee and Jacobs on talkSPORT.
“The recruitment this summer for Man United, win or lose this game on Wednesday, is absolutely vital,” said the former England centre-back.
“It’s critical to the health and longevity of this manager.”
Ferdinand continued: “To be realistic, you’re going to need a minimum three players, but I’d love to see five.
“The profile of the players has to suit what Amorim wants.
“It has to be physical players that can run, that can do it for 90 minutes and who aren’t going to get dominated in that sense.
United are also closing in on Brazil international Cunha having been heavily linked to the forward, who has a £62.5m release cause in his Wolves contract, for several weeks.
talkSPORT previously reported that Cunha plans to decide his next club before the end of the season.
Since joining Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid in January 2023, 25-year-old has scored 33 goals and provided 15 assists in 90 appearances.
Shortly after he scored in Wolves’ 2–0 victory over Aston Villa in February, Cunha extended his contract with the club until 2029.
As a priority target, United intend to move quickly to reduce the risk of hijack from other clubs.
