Manchester United are ‘unlikely’ to sign Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres for three reasons, according to a report from The Athletic.
Ruben Amorim is expected to sign a new No. 9 in the summer transfer window as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee continue to struggle.
Why Viktor Gyokeres to Manchester United is ‘unlikely’
Both players have five Premier League goals between them this season having cost over a combined £100million.
There was a small expectation that Man United would sign a striker in the January transfer window but that did not come to fruition after the club failed to make any significant player sales.
Gyokeres is clearly a player Amorim likes a lot having shone under the Portuguese at Sporting, before the head coach’s move to Old Trafford last November.
👉 READ MORE: Liverpool knocked off the top of Premier League mood rankings
However, it does not look likely that Gyokeres will join United at the end of the season due to his asking price, the strong possibility of no Champions League football, and ‘more appealing propositions’ being ‘expected to enter the bidding’.
A report from The Athletic states:
His release clause is set at €100m, but it is anticipated Sporting are open to selling at €70m.
However, it is considered unlikely that Gyokeres follows Amorim to Old Trafford. The Swedish international wants to join a Champions League team and while that is possible for United through winning the Europa League, other more appealing propositions are expected to enter the bidding. Conversely, United would be reluctant to commit that type of money to a player who will turn 27 in June. The club’s strategy is to invest in younger signings.
MORE ON MAN UTD…
👉 Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ‘skint basically’ so Man Utd are ‘screwed’
👉 16 Conclusions on the F365 tables: The Rashford Factor and Spurs’ damning quarter-hour
👉 Potless players who can win first trophy with FA Cup: One per Premier League club
The report adds that RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is a target but interest from Arsenal ‘would be a complicating factor’, making the signing of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ‘more plausible’.
At 21 years old, Benjamin Sesko fits that profile and United have consistently tracked him since having the opportunity to sign him from Slovenian side Domzale for €2million in 2018. United held talks over Sesko in Erik ten Hag’s first summer in 2022, but he did not feel ready to take on the mantle at Old Trafford, and they tried again last year, only for him to sign a new contract at RB Leipzig.
Sesko’s anticipated fee, and Arsenal’s interest, would be a complicating factor for United, who are in the process of making more redundancies among staff at the club, potentially as many as 200. The football department is expected to be hit, an area former sporting director Dan Ashworth was reluctant to cut, bringing him into dispute with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
In that light, a more plausible target is Liam Delap, who is likely to come under further discussion at United after his breakout season for Ipswich Town.
United have been tracking the player this season and he is well-known to technical director Jason Wilcox, who was academy director at Manchester City when Delap joined from Derby County in 2019.
Ipswich are aware of the realities of the situation for a player interesting several clubs further up the food chain but would demand a significant fee for him in the event of top-flight survival — a level of money United might struggle to afford.
It is expected Delap’s price will come down should Ipswich get relegated, moving more into United’s range, but they would face serious competition from Chelsea, who have expressed their interest to Ipswich.
It can be revealed City inserted a £40million buyback clause in the deal taking Delap to Portman Road for a potential £20m last summer, so that could be a factor, or a gauge of fee, in the anticipated pursuit of his signature.
United have also scouted Bryan Mbeumo, the most recent time being for Brentford’s game against Tottenham Hotspur on February 2… one year left on his contract in June, although Brentford have the option to extend to 2027. It is felt with the security of those two years remaining on his deal, Brentford would look for a club-record sale.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane gets a mention as he has a release clause that becomes active in the summer, which is believed to be worth £65million.
Kane is a proven goalscorer in every competition he has played in but ‘is very happy and settled in Germany’, ‘would only depart Bayern for a Champions League team’, and is focused entirely ‘on winning trophies’ in Munich.
His age (31) also makes a move to Man United unlikely, which is also the reason they thought £15m for Serhou Guirassy was ‘too much’ and ‘meaningful talks’ to buy Ivan Toney from Brentford last summer did not happen.
👉 READ MORE: Five strikers Arsenal must target: Arteta to sign Bundesliga youngster over Alexander Isak
The only chance Amorim recruits an older striker is if they are available on a free, which earns Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin surprise mentions.
There were never any meaningful talks over Ivan Toney last summer despite his availability and his name being discussed internally. Toney, 28, moved to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli for €40million.
Serhou Guirassy was an option for United in January 2024, but the club decided a €17.5million release clause was too much for a 27-year-old who had not hit such form before in his career.
Given United’s financial position, there might be a temptation to look at the free agency market, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 27, and Jamie Vardy, 38, both out of contract in the summer. That, though, would go against the plan for youth.
The report adds that Victor Boniface, Victor Osimhen and Dusan Vlahovic ‘could all be on the move this summer, but expected fees and salaries do not appear to correlate with United’s means’.
READ NOW: Who are the top scorers of 2025? Ousmane’s on fire…
