Deal Completed: Arsenal splashes £115m to complete long-term transfer target who has officially joined the club on a five-years transfer deal
Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their bid to sign one of Europe’s leading strikers, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano – with Viktor Gyokeres telling former boss Ruben Amorim that he wishes to join Arsenal thanks to their Champions League status.
The Red Devils are in dire need of attacking recruits, and seem to be making a dent in that particular area of their squad. Having already landed Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha for a deal worth around £62.5million, Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo remains on their radar, as Amorim wants to close a deal for the Cameroonian before returning for pre-season in early July.
Romano: Gyokeres’ Preference is Arsenal, Scuppers Man Utd Bid
Ruben Amorim may not be able to link up with his former star
But whilst the general attacking areas have had a lot of care and attention, United their out-and-out strikers remain Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who only grabbed seven Premier League goals between them last season.
And that has given Amorim the need to sign former star Gyokeres, who scored an outstanding 39 league goals in 33 Primeira Liga games for Sporting last season – just six goals shy of United’s entire total, being labelled as ‘unstoppable’ in the process.
But the Swede has dealt them a blow by naming Arsenal as his priority choice due to their Champions League status, according to Romano – perhaps forcing Amorim down another route instead of signing the £68million-rated star. The journalist said on his YouTube channel:
“Viktor Gyokeres remains a priority, and his priority remains Arsenal. He wants to go to Arsenal, he wants to play Champions League football for Arsenal.
“He never rejected Manchester United, but he told Manchester United that his priority would be Arsenal, so let’s follow that situation.”
Arsenal are also in dire need of a striker, which won’t help United’s cause. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were both injured in the middle of the season, and whilst Mikel Merino’s introduction as an auxiliary striker wasn’t a shambles, an out-and-out talisman was clearly needed in a difficult run of form that saw Liverpool waltz away to the Premier League title.
