Viktor Gyokeres is summer target for both Manchester United and Arsenal; Utd have made approaches through intermediaries to explore the conditions of potential deal; Sporting president says club has received ‘no offers’, but striker will be allowed to leave for less than release clause

European football expert Andy Brassell discusses whether Viktor Gyokeres is the answer for Manchester United and if Arsenal are chasing the wrong striker in Benjamin Sesko

Sporting have not received any offers for Viktor Gyokeres and the striker will not be allowed to leave for £59m (€70m) this summer, club president Frederico Varandas said on Wednesday morning.

Varandas has disputed the existence of a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Gyokeres’ agent that would allow the Man Utd and Arsenal target to leave for a fixed fee of £50.8m (€60m) plus £8.4m (€10m) in add-ons.

Reports in Portugal claim Gyokeres has told Sporting he will not play for them again because he feels disappointed they have not kept to their promise.

Varandas says he has guaranteed that Gyokeres will be allowed to go for less than his €100m release clause but has made clear there will be an open negotiation for the 27-year-old, who scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season.

Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth explains how Manchester United are able to afford all their top transfer targets, such as the confirmed deal for Matheus Cunha and potential moves for Bryan Mbeumo and Viktor Gyokeres
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” said Varandas. “To this day, Sporting has not received an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last summer.”

Varandas says Gyokeres’ agent sought assurances from him and sporting director Hugo Viana – who has now left to join Man City in a similar role – that the player would be allowed to leave for less than his release clause in a meeting earlier this season.

The Sporting president said the agent also asked for an agreement over the asking price – but he was unwilling to commit to specific numbers.

Varandas added: “What was agreed in that meeting? That Sporting would not demand the release clause [this summer].

“For one reason, it was because we know no player leaves Portugal at 27 for €100m or €90m euros.

“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m or 80m. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100m euros.'”

How Gyokeres’ transfer value has rocketed from £450k to £75m

Two years after signing him for around £20m from Coventry, Sporting stand to make a huge profit on Viktor Gyokeres.

The 27-year-old, who hit 40 goals in 97 games after joining Coventry from Brighton in 2021, has scaled new heights in Portugal, scoring 97 times in 102 games for Sporting in all competitions since his arrival in 2023 and becoming one of the most coveted strikers in Europe.

Manchester United have made an initial approach over a potential reunion with his former boss Ruben Amorim. Gyokeres is also of interest to Arsenal as the Gunners aim to strengthen their attack.

His scoring exploits for Sporting, which include six goals in eight Champions League appearances last season, have seen him treble in value to £75m in the space of two years, according to the website Transfermarkt, reflecting the speed of his rise to prominence.

Skysports.com