Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres has been left out of the Sweden squad ahead of upcoming international fixtures amidst growing speculation around his future.
The 26-year-old is officially absent due to injury, although this has been met with scepticism by outlets such as Sport Witness, who playfully suggest he may have a case of “transferitis”.
Ever since Ruben Amorim stepped into the United hotseat from Sporting CP, the Red Devils have been linked with a blockbuster move for the Portuguese champions’ talismanic centre-forward.
The Swedish striker bagged an incredible 54 goals in 52 games in all competitions to help the Lisbon side to complete a memorable domestic double.
His personal tally is ten more than the entire United squad managed in the Premier League all season, so it is no surprise his name features high on a list of potential attacking reinforcements.
🇸🇪🤕 Viktor Gyokeres out of the Sweden squad
➡️ Official reason is injury
➡️ Unclear whether that’s an injury or an “injury”
➡️ May be a nasty case of transferitis pic.twitter.com/nqTSkloqfR— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) June 3, 2025
But if his exclusion from international duty really is to do with a potential transfer, that’s not necessarily good news for United.
The Old Trafford club’s chances of signing the player seem to have been in decline recently, with a host of other suitors apparently forging ahead in the race.
Serie A champions Napoli and La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid have both been linked in the past few days, while Premier League rivals Arsenal – long thought to be Gyokeres’ most likely destination – reportedly had a big-money bid turned down.
United’s unique advantage
Still, with priority target Liam Delap ultimately snubbing the Red Devils the hunt for a goalscorer continues apace and the Manchester Evening News today revealed an interesting advantage United hold to try and swing the battle for Gyokeres back in their favour.
The newspaper quotes the Swede’s agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, as explaining that the only reason he signed for Sporting in the first place was for the chance to work with Amorim.
Cetinkaya said: “Everyone was waiting for Viktor to sign with a Premier League club. I brought Viktor to Sporting for just one reason, and this is also something I said to Mr Amorim when I saw him for the first time, and I said it before I even said hello to him: I only brought my player here because of you.
“Therefore, I only brought Gyokeres to Sporting because of Ruben Amorim.”
Whether the manager can repeat the trick and entice Gyokeres to join a floundering United side remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a unique angle as the Red Devils’ quest for a new striker continues to take turn after turn.
Featured image Gualter Fatia via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
