Man Utd get Viktor Gyokeres boost after transfer clause agreement comes to light
Manchester United are the latest club to be credited with an interest in Viktor Gyokeres and it seems Sporting Lisbon have already been making preparations for his future exit
by Dan Marsh · The MirrorManchester United and other top clubs chasing Viktor Gyokeres have been boosted by Sporting Lisbon's move to reduce Coventry's sell-on clause for the sought-after striker.
Gyokeres, 26, has evolved into one of Europe's most prolific No.9's since moving to Portugal in the summer of 2022. The Sweden international already has plenty of suitors and may have even won more admirers in midweek when he downed Manchester City with a sensational hat-trick in the Champions League.
Arsenal are known to be courting the former Brighton frontman and were heavily linked with him back in the summer. But United have also now been credited with an interest in Gyokeres as Sporting boss Ruben Amorim prepares to take over at Old Trafford.
While Amorim played down suggestions of a January move this week, it seems as though it will only be a matter of time before Gyokeres moves on to pastures new - and Sporting have already been preparing for his departure behind the scenes.
It emerged in the final weeks of the summer transfer window via Sport that the Portuguese giants had paid a sum of €2million (£1.7m) to reduce Coventry's 15 per cent sell on clause down to 10 per cent.
And the fact that Sporting have moved to ensure they stand to bank a larger slice of any potential fee for Gyokeres could be conceived as a sign that they know it's almost time to cash in on their prized asset.
A new report from The Times revealed this week that Gyokeres could even be available for as little as £63million next summer due to a gentleman's agreement with Sporting, who are willing to do business for a sum far lower than the €100m (£83m) release clause in the player's contract.
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Amorim was asked about potentially taking Sporting's star striker with him to Old Trafford following his final home match at the helm in Portugal.
United's new head coach is understood to be reluctant to raid his current club, though, as he doesn't want to sour his relationship with Sporting fans. He did, however, allude to the fact that Gyokeres was likely to move on soon after quipping that he'd be "in trouble" if he tried to lure the striker to Manchester in January.
He said: “If I start joking about this Gyokeres situation I'll get in trouble! This is my city, this is my country, so I'll respect it. Viktor has to stay until the end of the season and then his life will probably go somewhere else.”
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