Viktor Gyokeres’ camp is increasingly frustrated with Manchester United’s transfer stance, even as Arsenal emerge as the leading contender to land the prolific Swedish striker from Sporting CP. The tension stems from a sense of mixed signals: people close to the player believe United manager Ruben Amorim encouraged Gyokeres’ 2023 switch to Lisbon, yet has not pushed to reunite at Old Trafford now that he has the chance.
United’s summer rebuild up front has moved in a different direction. The club has already invested heavily to bring in Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and Matheus Cunha from Wolves in big-money deals, signalling confidence that its forward rotation is deep enough without another marquee arrival. Internally, the message is that resources must also go toward trimming a bloated squad and rebalancing wages before further major attacking signings are considered.
That leaves Gyokeres who has delivered an extraordinary strike rate in Portugal, hitting 66 goals in 68 games under Amorim looking elsewhere in the Premier League. Arsenal, long in the market for a high-output, high-press centre-forward to complement Mikel Arteta’s fluid front line, now appear well positioned to capitalise. With United stepping back, the Gunners face significantly reduced competition and could accelerate talks if fee structure and performance add‑ons can be aligned with Sporting’s valuation.
From the player’s side, disappointment is emotional as well as professional. Representatives feel that the goodwill built during the Sporting move, and the trust shown in Amorim’s project, merited stronger advocacy once the manager arrived in Manchester. Instead, United’s coolness has introduced uncertainty at a pivotal stage of Gyokeres’ career peak.
Still, nothing is final. Sporting are under no pressure to sell below value, Arsenal must navigate spending rules, and United could yet revisit options if outgoings change the financial picture. For now, though, momentum sits firmly with Arsenal and Gyokeres’ camp is watching closely to see whether the striker’s next chapter plays out in North London rather than the red half of Manchester.
What would Arsenal gain? Gyokeres offers elite off-ball running, robust hold-up play, and the penalty‑box instincts Arteta has sought to add to a side that at times overrelies on wide overloads and midfield goals. At 27, he is entering his prime scoring years; pairing him with the creativity of Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Declan Rice’s forward surges could unlock another attacking gear for a squad intent on sustaining a title push across four competitions. Next season.
