Fabrizio Romano has explained that, before losing the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United were very close to securing a “perfect” player.
Manchester United are working to strengthen their attack this summer following a disappointing 2024/25 season, which saw them finish 15th in the Premier League and lose in the Europa League final.
Scoring goals was a consistent problem, with Bruno Fernandes finishing as the club’s top scorer on 19, while Amad and Alejandro Garnacho each contributed 11. No player managed to reach the 20-goal milestone.
To address that, United have turned to the transfer market. Matheus Cunha is set to join in a £62.5 million deal from Wolves, and Bryan Mbeumo has given the green light for a move from Brentford.
Rúben Amorim’s side are continuing to explore more attacking targets, but one option is now off the list as Liam Delap has completed his transfer to Chelsea.
United were initially very close to Gyökeres deal
One of the strikers United have been closely linked with is Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 66 goals in 68 appearances under Amorim before the head coach’s move to Manchester and is said to be a “perfect” striker for the club to sign.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that although United have spoken to his representatives in the last week, had they defeated Tottenham in the Europa League final, it would have been a transfer that would have almost certainly been finalised already.
“What I heard, Man United, last week, had new contacts with Viktor Gyökeres’ camp to be informed on the situation,” Romano explained on his YouTube channel. “Something like, ‘okay, if Arsenal are not doing the deal, we are still there, we are still interested.’
“Then, for Man United, we have to see financially how they can make it happen, because with Champions League football, I’m 99% convinced that they were going to close the Gyökeres deal quite quick. I think that was the feeling.
“Then, no Champions League football, they lost the [Europa League] final in Bilbao, and so it’s more complicated financially. But, for Viktor Gyökeres, Man United called again, so let’s see if they will be able to make it happen, but there were new contacts with the agents of the player.”
Gyökeres’ transfer is now an open race
With United initially missing out on his signature due to the loss in Spain, the race for him this summer has become an open race.
Romano went on to explain that Juventus have made contact with Gyökeres’ camp to gather information about a potential deal. Despite recent changes in the club’s leadership, the Italian club reached out over the weekend. However, completing a deal of this scale would be financially difficult for Juventus.
The Italian journalist continued by explaining that Al-Hilal remain focused on trying to sign Victor Osimhen, even after he turned them down recently.
Read More: Why Manchester United haven’t submitted second Bryan Mbeumo bid as INEOS want to avoid prior mistake
They plan to keep pushing, but if Osimhen stays firm, they are exploring alternatives, and Gyökeres is one of the strikers on their list. While the player isn’t prioritising a move to Saudi Arabia, Al-Hilal could offer a massive financial package to change his mind.
Therefore, United are not the only club who have been in touch with Gyökeres’ representatives in the past 48 hours, with Juventus and Al-Hilal joining the race.
He is said to be available for around £59 million this summer, with United needing sales to secure his transfer over the line should the Swede agree to sign for the club.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.