Sporting is screwing over Manchester United with Viktor Gyokeres power play

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been pushing hard to reunite with star striker Viktor Gyokeres, who took the 2024/25 season by storm in European football with a jaw-dropping 39 goals and even 7 assists in the Primeira Liga for Sporting CP.

Although there has seemingly been an understanding that Sporting, who frequently sell top players to big European clubs, would help Gyokeres facilitate a move after he increased his transfer value by staying for the 2024/25 season, it appears the Portuguese giants have changed their minds.

According to information from top transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, the situation between Gyokeres and his current club has become “tense”, because Sporting are trying to get significantly more money out of a transfer, hampering his ability to leave the club this summer.

Sporting would like to sell Gyokeres for more than the 65 million euros they initially shook hands on, as the club’s president now wants a fee closer to the 100 million euro clause in his contract. And Fab says that this has understandably made Gyokeres “furious”.

Manchester United should be upset with Sporting CP

It should also make Premier League clubs interested in Gyokeres upset, too, and it’s hard to envision Manchester United being as willing to sign Gyokeres, even with Amorim pushing, if he costs, say, 90 million euros.

They have already been burned by such a splashy investment in one player on the recommendation of a former manager, even though Antony did rehab his value at Real Betis last season; Manchester United won’t see a whole lot of benefit from that personally either.

Gyokeres is a great goal-scorer for Sporting, but he’s already 27 and there are valid questions as to how the big man’s skill-set translates to the Premier League, including concerns raised by Manchester United’s legendary center back Rio Ferdinand. 

Even so, Gyokeres would be a great signing for Manchester United; it’s just that the burden of risk becomes quite onerous when close to nine figures are thrown around as the transfer fee for the player.

Sporting made it clear to Gyokeres and everyone else that the striker could go for a reasonable fee, as 65 million euros is about the going rate for an up-and-coming striker with some risk margin to them.

Now, all of a sudden, Sporting want a whole lot more, and that could leave Manchester United scrambling for the alternative options like Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitke, though neither of those two are expected to be much cheaper than the Swedish international either.