According to fresh reports from Portugal, Victor Lindelöf’s agent blocked Manchester United from moving for Viktor Gyökeres this summer.
Manchester United are set to revamp their forward line this summer following a disappointing 2024/25 season that ended with a 15th-place finish in the Premier League, with a lack of goals a key contributor to their poor form.
Bruno Fernandes topped the scoring charts with 19 goals, while only three other players managed to reach double figures across all competitions.
To address their attacking shortcomings, United have spent £127.5 million to bring in wingers Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who together netted 35 Premier League goals last season.
With those additions already secured, Rúben Amorim’s side are now turning their attention to signing a central striker to lead the line.
United’s failure to land Gyökeres starts with Lindelöf
Toward the beginning of the summer, it was clear that the club’s first-choice striker option was Liam Delap, although he chose to sign for Chelsea. After that, Amorim was said to be keen to sign Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 66 goals in 68 appearances under the head coach at Sporting.
However, it has since been made clear that the Swedish international is intent on securing a move to Arsenal over United this summer, and according to reports from Portugal, this dates back to when Victor Lindelöf left Old Trafford.
The 31-year-old centre-back departed the club after eight seasons, his contract having expired. According to Record, the decision not to offer him a new deal upset his agent, Hasan Çetinkaya.
Çetinkaya is also known to be the rather eccentric agent of Gyökeres, and Record claim that United’s decision not to renew Lindelöf’s contract had a significant impact on their chances of landing Gyökeres.
Once it became clear that the centre-back would not be staying at United, Çetinkaya chose to enact revenge and block United’s move for Gyökeres, helping sway his client toward Arsenal – although this transfer is yet to be completed, with the two parties still haggling over add-ons.
United are looking for more attainable striker targets
With the outlays of Cunha and Mbeumo’s moves, United must now raise funding to secure further signings for Amorim, with The Athletic explaining that the club want a further three additions.
United still want to sign a new striker, goalkeeper, and defensive midfielder this summer, but their current set of striker targets are not too attainable.
It is detailed that the club have engaged in initial talks regarding Benjamin Šeško, Ollie Watkins, and Nicolas Jackson, but at this point in time, all three deals are deemed to be too far out of United’s budget.
Therefore, the club are looking elsewhere for forward additions, although The Athletic did not mention any further specifics.
Reports have suggested that United have been offered the chance to enter the race for Gyökeres twice in recent weeks, but Amorim’s side have declined on both occasions.
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