Barcelona hand Manchester United transfer boost, director confirms £60m star is ‘not a priority’

Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed that one of Manchester United’s potential targets is not currently a priority on their transfer list.

Manchester United are already looking ahead to the 2025 January and summer transfer windows as they prepare for a new era under Rúben Amorim.

Amorim was appointed the club’s new head coach after former manager Erik ten Hag was sacked. The 39-year-old is set to change the side’s approach to football drastically.

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The Portuguese coach is well known for the 3-4-3 formation he has employed at his previous clubs. He most notably used variations of the system to win two league titles with Sporting CP.

However, his arrival at Old Trafford signifies a change in how the team that’s traditionally played variations of a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation over the years will start to evolve, and transfer targets will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Barcelona’s transfer boost

United have been heavily linked with Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres. He was an essential part of Amorim’s most recent side at the club and has scored 23 goals in 18 games this season, including a Champions League hat trick against Manchester City.

However, United are not the only team interested – although Barcelona’s sporting director Deco has handed the English club a boost, confirming they are not in the race to sign him.

“He’s a good player, he’s been scoring goals for a long time in Portugal,” Deco told Mundo Deportivo.

“We know him like others but he’s not our priority at the moment and we’re not looking for a number nine to replace Robert [Lewandowski] because we want him to remain happy, scoring goals and at least stay for another season.

“We’ve won things, and he’s happy to be here. We’re not going to talk about any player now.”

Where does Gyökeres fit?

With the Swedish international posed as a potential signing for the club in the summer, some have questioned where the 26-year-old would fit in United’s squad.

Gyökeres has a release clause of around £86 million, but several reports have confirmed that Sporting would be willing to sell him for around £50-60 million this summer.

This would most likely be at the expense of Joshua Zirkzee, who is reportedly gathering internet from Juventus.

The 23-year-old has not started life at Old Trafford as many would have hoped, scoring just one goal this season following his £36 million move from Bologna in the 2024 summer window.

Gyökeres would no doubt want to be a starting striker at United, and with Rasmus Højlund a long-term project the club are willing to remain patient over, Zirkzee may have to give way.

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