Manchester United appear to be giving up in the race to sign Viktor Gyokeres, conceding that the player prefers Arsenal and moving on to other targets.
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David McDonnell and Nathan Ridley report for the Mirror that Manchester United had hoped to sign Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres this summer, reuniting him with former manager Ruben Amorim.
But United are now reportedly convinced that Gyokeres has decided to join Arsenal instead, so they’re turning their attentions to other targets.
Ironically, United’s next transfer target is another player Arsenal had their eyes on in Ollie Watkins. Watkins is said to be open to a new challenge, and the Red Devils are stepping up their interest in him, holding initial talks with Aston Villa.
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United signing Watkins still isn’t particularly likely at this stage. Villa want £60m, beyond what the Manchester club are willing to pay.
The Mirror claim United had been willing to offer Marcus Rashford as part of a swap deal for Watkins, but Villa have decided against signing the 27-year-old.
It also might be difficult to convince Watkins to join, given United have no European football and finished significantly lower in the table than Villa in 2024/25. It would feel like a step down in many ways.
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If Arsenal decide to go for Gyokeres, it seems they won’t face any serious competition for the transfer, with the player set on the move to north London.
The big problem at the moment is Sporting’s valuation of the player, which is at least €10m more than Gyokeres believed he’d be allowed to leave for this summer.
The club are looking for €80m (£68.7m), but Gyokeres wants an exit for €60m (£51.5m) plus €10m (£8.6m) in add-ons.
As it stands, the striker intends to refuse to turn up to training until Sporting honour the verbal agreement he believes he had with them.
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