Viktor Gyokeres Makes ‘Official’ Man Utd Transfer Decision, Sporting CP’s Asking Price ‘Threat’ | OneFootball

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres is reported to have informed Manchester United that he will not be joining the club this summer.

United, led by former Sporting manager Ruben Amorim, re-entered the race for Gyökeres’s signature earlier this month, sensing an opportunity as fellow suitors Arsenal began to focus their efforts on Benjamin Šeško of RB Leipzig instead.

It was at that point that the entire saga took a turn. Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas accused Gyökeres’s agent of “blackmail” and rejected the existence of an agreement which would see the striker sold for well below his €100 million (£85.1 million, $115.4 million) release clause.

That sparked a response from Gyökeres, who vowed to set the record straight in a cryptic post on social media.

The latest twist in the saga comes from Record, who state Gyökeres’s agents have now “officially” informed United that they do not have a chance of winning the race for his signature.

Gyökeres is also a target for Arsenal. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Previous reports this summer claimed Gyökeres was only aiming to join one of Europe’s elite sides, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all preferred when it comes to Premier League clubs.

The confusion surrounding Gyökeres’s future continued with reports in the Swedish media which claimed to carry quotes from the striker’s agent, who was said to have proof of a deal with Sporting to sell Gyökeres for €60 million (£51.1 million, $69.3 million) plus €10 million (£8.5 million, $11.5 million) in add-ons. Record, however, claim these quotes are fake.

However, things do not stop there as a separate report from the same outlet states there is a legal document which entitles Gyökeres’s agent to a fee of €6 million (£5.1 million, $6.9 million) if Sporting reject an offer of €60 million presented by him.

In response to that agreement, Sporting are said to have warned Gyökeres’s agent that they will return to demanding the striker’s €100 million release clause in full unless they show a flexibility when it comes to both that penalty clause and a wider transfer fee.

The increasingly confusing situation may convince Gyökeres’s suitors, including Arsenal, to focus on other targets this summer. United, for their part, are already thought to have made contact with Eintracht Frankfurt over Hugo Ekitiké.