Ruben Amorim, the newly appointed boss of Manchester United, is preparing to compete against a close friend at Manchester City in the race to sign Sporting Lisbon’s striker Viktor Gyokeres, who is valued at £65 million.
The 26-year-old Swedish international is Amorim’s top priority for next season, but City’s incoming sporting director Hugo Viana is also eager to secure Gyokeres’ services. Coventry City is keeping a close eye on the situation in case a bidding war erupts between the two Premier League giants for their former player.
Viana, who played a key role in Sporting’s £20 million signing of Gyokeres from Coventry City 18 months ago, will take over as sporting director at City at the end of the season. Gyokeres, who has previously played for Brighton and Swansea, recently impressed by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory against City in the Champions League.
Both Amorim and Viana have a strong bond with the player, and Amorim sees him as the solution to United’s goal-scoring woes. Amorim is pushing for a significant say in player recruitment at United and believes Gyokeres could be the missing piece to their attacking puzzle.
Gyokeres has been in high demand across Europe due to his impressive goal-scoring record at Sporting. With 41 goals in 52 games in his first season and 24 goals in 19 appearances this season, the Swede has caught the attention of top clubs like Arsenal.
As City mulls over new attacking options despite having Erling Haaland in their ranks, Gyokeres is seen as a potential addition to bolster their squad. Coventry, who sold Gyokeres to Sporting for £20 million, stands to profit from any future sale of the player.
With a release clause of €100 million (£84 million), Coventry could earn an additional £6.4 million if that clause is triggered. A bidding war could further increase the fee for Gyokeres, benefiting both Sporting and Coventry in the process.
