Reports in Portugal have suggested that Viktor Gyökeres has now selected the club he wants to play for next season, amid interest from Manchester United.
Manchester United are focused on bolstering their attack this summer after a disappointing 2024/25 season that saw them finish 15th in the Premier League, with a lack of goals proving costly.
Bruno Fernandes ended the campaign as the club’s top scorer with 19 goals. Alejandro Garnacho and Amad both scored 11, while Rasmus Højlund added 10. No other player managed to reach double figures across all competitions.
United have already secured a deal to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves, and there is growing confidence at Old Trafford that an agreement for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is close.
Despite these moves, the club remain in search of a new central striker. Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres is a key target, having scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Portuguese side, including 66 in just 68 matches under Rúben Amorim.
Gyökeres has picked the club he wants next season
While United admire Gyökeres, they are not the only side who hold an interest in the Swedish forward, with other clubs such as Arsenal and Juventus also linked with the player.
While the transfer window has temporarily closed due to the Club World Cup, this has not stopped clubs from continuing to engage in talks with player representatives.
According to a report from CNN, as relayed by O Jogo, Gyökeres’ agent met with Premier League side Arsenal on Wednesday to assess the possibility of signing him.
This is the same day that Sporting president Frederico Varandas provided an explosive statement stating he would not be backing down from his valuation of the striker despite a reported “gentleman’s agreement” to sell him for a £59 million package.
Further, the CNN report states that Gyökeres has now chosen Arsenal as the club that he wants to play for next season.
Gyökeres following in Delap’s footsteps after Europa League disaster
Should it be true that Gyökeres has decided he would rather sign for Arsenal next season over United, this would be the second case where losing the Europa League final has cost them.
While Cunha and Mbeumo are both signing for United to become part of the larger project, United were rejected by Liam Delap earlier this summer, with the young striker instead choosing to sign for Chelsea in large part due to them playing in the Champions League next season.
Amorim has been clear in stating that he only wants to sign players who wish to play for Manchester United, regardless of whether they are in the Champions League or not next season, and Gyökeres may hold a similar stance to Delap.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano explained earlier this week that he is “99% convinced” that, had United won the Europa League final and qualified for the Champions League next season, United would have wrapped up a deal for Gyökeres relatively quickly.
If Gyökeres engineers a move to Arsenal, United may have to start looking for a more creative solution to their striker problems, as secondary target Jean-Philippe Mateta is close to signing a new contract with Crystal Palace.
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.