Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand insists that Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres is not “the guy” to score goals for the Red Devils next season.
It was thought that Gyokeres would not entertain the idea of leaving Sporting for Man Utd in the summer after Ruben Amorim’s side failed to qualify for the Champions League.
But journalist Ben Jacobs revealed that the Sweden international would actually be “very keen” on a move to Old Trafford, regardless of them not being in Europe next term.
Before transfer expert Fabrizio Romano gave an update on Tuesday and claimed that Man Utd “called again” about Gyokeres as they keep “informed” on his situation.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “From what I heard, last week Man Utd had new contacts with Viktor Gyokeres’ camp, to be informed on the situation, something like ‘okay, if Arsenal are not doing the deal we are still there, we are still interested’.
“Then for Man Utd we have to see financially how they can make it happen, because with Champions League football I’m 99 per cent convinced that they were going to close the Gyokeres deal quite quick. That was the feeling.
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“Then no Champions League football, they lost the [Europa League] final in Bilbao, and so it’s more complicated financially.
“But for Gyokeres, Man Utd called again. Let’s see if they’re able to make it happen but there were new contacts with the agent of the player.”
Some Man Utd fans have been excited at the prospect of Gyokeres leading the line next season but club legend Ferdinand reckons the Red Devils should avoid the signing.
Ferdinand was joined on his YouTube channel by host Joel Beya and former Man City defender Joleon Lescott as they discussed Gyokeres’ potential transfer to Old Trafford.
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Beya declared: “Gyokeres, you’ve got to go for him.” To which Lescott swiftly said: “I believe that you’re going to go for him – but he’s not the guy.”
Ferdinand replied: “I don’t think he’s the guy. I’ve not watched him loads [but] I’ve watched him probably three times really, really closely.
“And three times I’ve gone, ‘He ain’t getting that opportunity in the Prem’. When I see him physically matched, what else is there?
“Is there enough – after he’s physically matched – to get him a goal?”
Lescott added: “You don’t get away with that in the Prem.”
A report on Tuesday in Portugal insisted that Gyokeres is ‘furious’ after Sporting apparently broke a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to sell him for €70m (£59m) in the summer.
It had reportedly been ‘agreed’ that his €100m would ‘not be an obstacle’ for a summer transfer and that Gyokeres ‘could leave if Sporting received a concrete offer of €60 million, plus €10 million depending on objectives’.
But Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has rejected those claims and insisted that Gyokeres “will not leave” for €70m this summer.
Varandas said: “I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that. To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.”
The Sporting president added: “One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause.
“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.
“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m eurors or 90m euros.
“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100 million euros.”
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