Manchester United have joined Chelsea and Arsenal in the race to sign one of Sporting CP’s best players, according to Portuguese outlet Record (page 4).
The Red Devils have misfired up front in the Premier League this season., scoring only 12 goals after 11 games.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have scored three goals between them. The duo must improve going forward under manager Ruben Amorim.
Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres has been regularly linked with United since Amorim’s arrival. The club could make a summer move if Hojlund and Zirkzee fail to impress.
Chelsea and Arsenal were linked with him last summer, but the duo were reluctant to trigger the £83 million release clause before the transfer deadline.
United have now joined them in the pursuit of Gyokeres, who has registered 23 goals and four assists in just 18 appearances for Sporting this term.
Gyokeres would provide a striker upgrade for United
The Red Devils were initially interested in signing Harry Kane last year, but they were unable to strike a transfer agreement with Tottenham Hotspur for him.
United opted to sign Hojlund from Atalanta. The Dane has shown glimpses of his quality but has yet to become a regular goal-getter.
A return of 18 goals in 55 appearances is a poor return for a player who cost £72m.
Hojlund could develop under Amorim’s guidance in the near future, but the hierarchy may want a genuine goalscorer to help United challenge for the league title.
Joshua Zirkzee arrived with plenty of promise from Bologna last summer, but he has looked out of sorts with just one goal from 17 appearances this season.
Zirkzee has been linked with an early exit, and he could be offloaded to facilitate Gyokeres’s arrival from Sporting next summer.
The Swede, who has been described as a ‘hardworking‘ player by Anders Limpar, has been a revelation with 66 goals and 19 assists in 68 outings for Sporting.
He will face a sterner challenge with a move to the Premier League but would still be an upgrade on Hojlund and Zirkzee for the Mancunian giants.
Gyokeres has a gentleman’s agreement to leave his club for £63m next summer, and it is a no-brainer decision to reunite him with Amorim at Old Trafford.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com.
