Man Utd have submitted an offer to sign Viktor Gyokeres as they look to beat Arsenal in the race for the Sporting CP striker, according to reports.
It was understood that the Red Devils would be unlikely to compete with other clubs for Gyokeres this summer after failing to qualify for the Champions League.
However, journalist Ben Jacobs claimed recently that the Sweden international would actually be ‘very keen’ on joining Man Utd without European football next season.
That led to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano giving an update on Tuesday, in which he claimed that Man Utd had made “new contacts” over a possible deal for Gyokeres with the Red Devils “still interested”.
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.”
However, Portuguese journalist Nuno Farinha said on Wednesday that Arsenal are the club Gyokeres “has wanted from the very beginning” and the Gunners are “very advanced” on the transfer.
Farinha revealed on CNN Portugal: “The talks with Arsenal are not new but they have now become more formal since the Gyökeres situation became the situation it was.
“The meeting is currently taking place. Gyökeres’ agent is currently meeting with the owners of Arsenal to try to speed up this process. I don’t know exactly what the amounts are or what amounts are on the table.
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“Arsenal is the club that Gyökeres has wanted from the very beginning. Gyökeres wants to play for Arsenal, that’s his desire. He was very open about it to his agent.
“No formal proposal has arrived at Sporting. This time it seems that there will be, because things with Arsenal are already very advanced and it seems to me that there is a great desire to speed up this process. That is why a meeting is taking place at this moment.
“I believe it is in London, which is why I mentioned the issue of British punctuality. Basically, what is important from now on is to understand how this meeting went and how Arsenal will prepare for what we already know is Sporting’s position. €60m plus €10m is out of the question.”
But Portuguese newspaper A Bola claim that Man Utd ‘have not given up’ in the race to sign Gyokeres as Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim is now ‘taking on a very important role’.
And Spanish website Fichajes insist that the Red Devils ‘have decided to take the final step and submit [an] offer’ for Gyokeres after Sporting CP’s ‘stance on his asking price has sparked anger among the striker, who had expected a very different scenario this summer’.
Arsenal have two irons in the fire with the Sweden international and RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, while Man Utd ‘have redoubled their interest in Gyokeres’.
And Romano described Gyokeres as ‘furious’ on Wednesday evening after the Sporting president admitted he wouldn’t be sold for €65m this summer.
Romano wrote on X: ‘Tense situation between Viktor Gyökeres and Sporting. Despite previous pact for exit worth fee around €65m w/add-ons, Sporting president insists on higher fee. Price still under €100m clause but not €65m now. Gyökeres, described as furious.’
