Manchester United transfer target Viktor Gyokeres is considering going on strike given his ongoing feud with the management at Sporting CP.
Gyokeres has been at odds with Sporting president Frederico Varandas since there was a misunderstanding regarding a gentleman’s agreement struck between Gyokeres’ agent, Hasan Centikaya, and the club in which Sporting agreed to allow the striker to depart for an amount lower than his release clause.
Still, Varandas revealed that the club was unwilling to allow him to depart for €70 million, the amount that Juventus were prepared to splash on the player.
Following this misunderstanding, Gyokeres took issue with Varandas, whom he believes reneged on the agreement.
Since then, Sporting has seemingly attempted to make amends with the Swedish striker, with the former seeking a meeting with Gyokeres’ team to mend ties. However, the forward refused to meet with Varandas and co, thereby prolonging the conflict.
In fact, the player is so determined to leave Sporting that he is reportedly willing to release a recording confirming the existence of the €70 million exit agreement
Now, it appears that Gyokeres is willing to intensify the conflict further in order to force his move away from Sporting.
“He wants to leave: the agent’s statements and threats are supported by the player’s will and are not just barbs from a business strategy with the athlete on the sidelines. That is why Gyokeres is considering dropping the atomic bomb of a strike,” Portugal’s A Bola reported this morning.
“The Sporting team has scheduled their return to work for July 1st. Some players who were on international duty may only report on the 7th,” the report explained. “Gyokeres was called up to the Swedish national team and was therefore allowed to report later, but he was eventually released from the national team. Now it remains to be seen when he will receive the order to report… and if he will actually report.”
“The saga continues and promises to be a hot topic during the summer. Arsenal and Juventus are still very interested in the center forward but have not made any formal offers,” the article acknowledged, indicating that the race to sign Gyokeres is still wide open.
Given the player’s desperation to leave Sporting, United may be in with a chance to sign him even if they have no UEFA Champions League football to offer.
On the down side, such behaviour from Gyokeres could spell trouble for United, who have experienced no shortage of locker room drama over recent seasons.
While a lethal goal poacher with 54 goals and 13 assists in 52 matches across all competitions (Transfermarkt), United will have to determine whether Gyokeres’ impressive performances are worth the ego.
Featured image Gualter Fatia via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
