Viktor Gyokeres could be the perfect answer to Manchester United’s goalscoring woes and they have a golden opportunity to land the in-form hitman.
The Swedish striker is one of European football’s most-wanted, having scored 63 goals in 66 appearances since joining Sporting from Coventry. That tally has been bolstered by 18 goals in 13 matches in all competitions this season, flourishing under Ruben Amorim.
United, by comparison, have scored just eight goals in nine Premier League matches. Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have hit the back of the net on fewer occasions, with Alejandro Garnacho leading the scoring charts with two league goals.
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Over £100million has been spent on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee over the past two summers, but neither have hit the ground running this season and Amorim may yet prefer a goalscorer he can trust.
Gyokeres does have a release clause in his Sporting contract upwards of £80m, meaning that if that price is triggered the Portuguese club would have no way of stopping a proposed move.
However, Gyokeres has played down the suggestion that he could follow Amorim from Lisbon to Manchester, insisting that he is happy at his current club despite the natural disappointment that his head coach is moving on.
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"I don't know. I'm here, and as you can see, I enjoy it," Gyokores said after Sporting’s 5-1 cup win over Estrela da Amadora, where he bagged four goals.
"Sad that Amorim is leaving, he’s done amazing here, we will do the same job and keep the same faith in the team. We all wish him the best."
Amorim himself has poured cold water on the idea that he will bring Gyokores with him to the Premier League. He has pledged not to sign any players from his former club in January after taking up a position at Old Trafford.
"Gyokeres costs £100m," said Amorim. "It's very complicated. I will not take any of Sporting's players in January. But that's another story. There was no revolt whatsoever [from the Sporting players about Amorim's exit]. But they were sad.
"The players were anxious. We could feel the atmosphere was a little different. I have been with them for five years, they have been with me for five years. I even talked to them before I signed them. It's part of our characteristics to be close to the players.
"They know I'm the coach until Braga [final game], then I'm leaving. But disappointment? Yes."
That news will come as a relief to Hojlund and Zirkzee. But Amorim did only stipulate that transfer condition for the January market, he curiously has not ruled anything out for the summer window.
