Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres would reportedly prefer a move to Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool before making the switch to Manchester United this summer.
According to A Bola, Gyokeres has his heart set on a move to England this summer having previously played for Coventry City and Brighton and Hove Albion. However, his preference appears to be towards teams playing in the Champions League next season.
The report insists that Arsenal are currently his first choice alongside Serie A giants Juventus should a move to the Emirates Stadium not work out. It is claimed that Liverpool and City’s interest would also be welcomed by the Swede before looking at United.
La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, Champions League winners PSG and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are also on the list of preferred teams to join this summer. Unfortunately for Ruben Amorim, who worked alongside Gyokeres in Lisbon, United sit on the second tier of clubs he is keen on joining alongside La Liga’s Atletico Madrid and Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli, who boast Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Ivan Toney in their squad.
While this could rightly be considered to be a nightmare scenario for United, there is no guarantee that the 27-year-old will get his desired move to Arsenal. Over the weekend, reports in Portugal insisted that the Gunners had frozen their interest in Gyokeres.
A Bola echoes these claims with the north London club currently unwilling to rise above the offer of £47m plus £8.5m in add-ons. While Sporting have insisted that they will not sell Gyokeres for as much as his £85.5m release clause, they have also insisted he will not leave Lisbon for £51.3m plus £8.5m in add-ons.
It is claimed that while Arsenal are frustrated by Sporting’s inability to budge on this issue, they are relaxed by the situation and looking at other options. These reportedly include Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins while RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko remains the top target for the north Londoners.
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