One of Sporting’s stars has opened up about replacing Viktor Gyokeres, after Manchester United made contact regarding a summer move for the Swede.
After finishing 15th in the Premier League and missing out on European silverware, Manchester United’s higher-ups were called into immediate action to improve the side in the summer transfer window.
The main area of concern for Ruben Amorim is his attacking department, which he aims to resolve with a brand new front three immediately.
Top target Matheus Cunha has already been secured, whilst the signature of Bryan Mbeumo seemingly awaits. Meanwhile, their pursuit of a striker is proving increasingly difficult.
Sporting’s Viktor Gyökeres has been tipped for a transfer to a top team for over a season now, with no takers as of yet. His understudy, Conrad Harder, has now urged the Swede to take the next step in his career.
Harder urges Gyökeres to ‘try something new’
In an interview with TV2 Sport, Harder has urged his teammate to move on in his career, claiming that he is ready to fill the talisman’s ‘huge void’.
Harder said, “I’ve been waiting for a year to have regular playing time, so I feel ready and I’m looking forward to it. I don’t think about the fact that it’s Viktor that I have to replace, but the truth is that it’s a huge void that I have to fill.
“I want to play, but Viktor is a really cool guy, and I feel really good with him. Now he has to try something new, too. He has already proved everything he has to prove in the league. He has proved that he needs to be at a higher level, so maybe it is time to do that.”
The Danish international may have a point about his teammate, as Gyökeres has scored 97 goals in his 102 appearances for the Portuguese club.
Is Gyökeres to United an inevitable move?
According to Fabrizio Romano, United have made contact with Sporting’s camp and have asked to be kept updated on Gyökeres’ situation. However, a lack of Champions League football has made the deal far more complicated.
TalkSPORT also claim that Amorim has remained in contact with his former striker since swapping Sporting for United in November.
Read More: “My future…” £25m star breaks transfer silence after Nations League win amid Manchester United links
With Liam Delap moving to Chelsea, Victor Osimhen demanding an unaffordable wage, Randal Kolo Muani happy at Juventus, and Jean-Philippe Mateta reportedly entering new talks with Crystal Palace, United’s options are whittling down rapidly.
It’s bizarre that no major side has taken the punt on Gyokeres so far, with the 27-year-old displaying such elite levels of consistent goalscoring, but maybe the Red Devils will be the side to do so this summer.
There appears to be a general concern about whether Sporting’s frontman would be able to maintain his goalscoring form if he were to transfer to one of Europe’s top sides, but perhaps his former manager could be the one to trust him.
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