Ruben Amorim looks nailed on to secure the Manchester United job, after Sporting CP accepted a deal with the club earlier today. In turn, we now explore how easily the Portuguese manager could bring his greatest muse Viktor Gyokeres to Old Trafford.
Signed from the relatively humble backdrop of Coventry City in the summer of 2023, the Swedish striker has gone from strength to strength under Amorim. After being pivotal towards Sporting’s incredible title success of 2023/24, he’s not let up, and has already managed 14 goals in as many games this season, with a record of 12 in nine league games.
With Manchester United suffering goalscoring woes themselves, a swoop for the 26-year old could be on the cards.
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Our projected Viktor Gyokeres next club betting odds
Simply for the Amorim connection alone, we’ve made United 2/1 favourites ahead of the two other clubs we believe could go in for his signature.
Manchester United |
2/1 |
PSG |
8/1 |
Arsenal |
10/1 |
How would Gyokeres fit in at United?
With Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee already at the club, it is tough to know exactly where Gyokeres would fit in. However, neither have had overly impressive starts to their respective careers at Old Trafford, with Hojlund in particular having been injured for the majority of the 2024/25 season so far, and Zirkzee starting only four league games.
On that basis, it would be hard to see the forward as anything other than a regular starter were he to join the club, especially with rumours circulating of Joshua Zirkzee returning to Italy on loan in January. But it isn’t that straightforward…
Transfermarkt estimates Gyokeres has a market value of €70 million, with a release clause in his contract of €100 million. His contract also runs until 2028. With all of Manchester United’s current cost-cutting measures in place, this could make it very difficult for the club to afford his services, especially with under-performing players like Marcus Rashford and Casemiro still earning extortionate salaries at the club.
However, Gyokeres could be exactly the striker United have been missing since Cristiano Ronaldo’s second departure, back in January 2023. The Swede is a proven goalscorer, and possesses the required physicality to match up to Premier League defenders. Such a player is exactly what United need to get them back into the Champions League – a scenario in which they would be able to spend more lavishly on elite talents.
Other options
Paris-Saint Germain
We feel that PSG are another potential suitor for the former Coventry City striker. They are yet to secure a truly marquee replacement for Kylian Mbappe, having deployed a rotation of Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani in the number 9 role so far this season.
Gyokeres could be an excellent replacement for the Frenchman who left in the summer to join Real Madrid. A proven goalscoring record and Champions League experience fits the bill for the traditional striker required by PSG, and fans are under no illusion that they have the required funds to activate his release clause.
With their current Champions League campaign off to a rocky start, a January move could definitely be on the cards, assuming the Parisians can negotiate the all-new league phase.
Arsenal
Due to Gabriel Jesus failing to make his mark with the London club and Kai Havertz moving back to the role in which he struggled at Chelsea, the Gunners are yet to find a true 20-goal-a-season striker.
They were linked with Gyokeres throughout the summer after one year in the Portuguese capital, but a move failed to materialise. Amorim’s imminent departure to Manchester is causing rumours to swirl that Gyokeres will become unsettled and look for a move away.
With Arsenal poised to find their first mainstay number 9 since the departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, they currently seem the most likely English club other than Man Utd to make a move for the big Swedish international.