The Man Utd board have given the green light to signing Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Red Devils are having a nightmare season in the Premier League with Ruben Amorim’ side currently 14th in the table after 28 matches.
Only five Premier League sides have scored fewer goals than Man Utd this season with strikers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund coming in for a lot of stick.
And there is an expectation that Man Utd will invest in a goalscoring centre-forward in the summer transfer window to take some of the burden away from captain Bruno Fernandes and others.
And now our friends at TEAMtalk have revealed that Gyokeres’ potential transfer to Old Trafford has been ‘approved’ by the Man Utd board.
The website’s sources have ‘highlighted two major hurdles they must overcome to win the race for his signature’ as the Reds Devils ‘hold concrete interest’ in Gyokeres.
Sporting CP’s huge €100m asking price is understood to be one of the two ‘major obstacles’, while Man Utd could have to sell some players before forking out the money for Gyokeres, potentially putting them at a ‘disadvantage’ over three other rivals.
TEAMtalk name fellow Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as La Liga giants Barcelona, as the three other sides with serious interest in Sweden international Gyokeres.
MORE MANCHESTER UNITED COVERAGE ON F365
👉 Big Weekend: Liverpool v Newcastle, Arsenal, Bruno Fernandes, Frank, Steel City Derby, Atleti v Barca
👉 Mainoo warned against move abroad amid new claims Man Utd are ‘losing £150k a day’
👉 Manchester United are officially Bruno Fernandes FC as Amorim’s hero keeps season alive
However, former Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand doesn’t think Gyokeres is “the guy” for the Red Devils as Amorim looks to identify a new striker.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel: “I don’t think he’s the guy. I’ve not watched him loads but I’ve probably watched him three times really, really closely.
“Three times I’ve watched him and I’ve gone, he ain’t getting those opportunities in the Premier League. When I see him physically matched, I don’t see it. What else is there?
“That’s the questions I’m asking. Is there enough after he’s physically matched to get a goal? Physicality is a massive thing in the game today.
“A Ruben Amorim team need physicality and runners but there’s no real physicality in this squad. It just isn’t there.”
But another former Man Utd star, Mikael Silvestre, reckons Arsenal should “break the bank” to sign the Sporting CP striker.
Silvestre told yaysweepstakes.com: “Arsenal should go and get Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon this summer. He is the one player that I would try and break the bank for if I was Mikel Arteta. Viktor Gyokeres would be a very good signing for Arsenal.
“He’s powerful, that’s what they’re missing. They don’t have a player like him in their squad. He’s a big physical presence that has had another brilliant season. He’s scored goals at the highest level in the Champions League. As a number 9, he’s got everything that you want. He’s a great finisher.”
