Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres is set to join Manchester United this January after Ruben Amorim was appointment as the new manager of the club
Viktor Gyokeres has made headlines after scoring three goals to assist Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP upset Manchester City for the first time since 2020 on Tuesday.
The 4-0 victory brought Amorim full circle, since he was in charge when the Blues ran riot in their previous Champions League visit to Lisbon, a 5-0 thrashing in their Last 16 first leg clash in 2022. On the same night, Gyokeres began Coventry City’s 2-0 loss at Cardiff City.
After scoring 43 goals in 116 appearances for Coventry, he drew the attention of Amorim, and Sporting agreed to a move worth roughly £20 million in 2023. “I only brought Gyokeres to Sporting for Ruben Amorim,” his agent subsequently explained.
As a result of his treble versus City, the inevitable ties with Manchester United have grown even stronger.
The Sweden international has claimed he is not planning a reunion with Amorim in Manchester, with the boss already citing his £83.9 million release clause as a possible sticking point.
“I will not sign any Sporting players in January,” Amorim told reporters last week. “Gyokeres costs €100 million. “It is quite complex.”
It is undoubtedly problematic for United and Dan Ashworth, who was technical director at Brighton & Hove Albion when the club transferred Gyokeres to Coventry for £1 million in 2021. Two years later, the Championship club earned a £19 million profit off him, and they are planning another inflow.
Coventry’s Sporting contract has a 15% sell-on clause, which drops to 10% if he meets specified success criteria. It implies Sporting will try to hang out for longer than they may have done otherwise, considering the amount they will lose to Coventry.
