Arsenal and Manchester United are thought to be among the teams interested in doing a deal for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres this summer but one big club are now out of the running.
The race for Viktor Gyokeres is heating up, but the Swedish international will not join Barcelona this summer, according to the Spanish champions’ sporting director, Deco.
Gyokeres, 26, has scored goals at an incredible rate since joining Sporting Lisbon for 20 million Euros from Coventry City two years ago. And, with the striker eager to move on, he has plenty of suitors across Europe, including in the Premier League.
Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs considering a major summer transfer as they seek striking reinforcements for the 2025-26 season.
And Deco has revealed that Barcelona will not attempt to recruit Gyokeres this summer, giving them a big advantage.
“Gyokeres is a great striker who did excellent things at Sporting but we’re currently not looking for that position,” Deco explained to A Bola. “We have [Robert] Lewandowski at number nine.”
Arsenal will spend heavily on a new No.9 this summer after finishing second in the Premier League for the third consecutive year, but it is unclear whether they would pursue a deal for Gyokeres or RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
The latter is a long-term ambition, having been linked with the London club last summer before signing a new contract with Leizpig.
Ruben Amorim, Manchester United’s head coach, knows Gyokeres inside and out, having managed him for the majority of his tenure at Sporting Lisbon before accepting an opportunity to come to England in November.
Gyokeres went on to score 54 goals in 52 appearances this season as Sporting won another Portuguese title, and the club claims it has had no offers for its star attacker.
Francisco Salgado Zenha, Sporting’s vice-president, stated of Gyokeres: “He has three more years on his deal. There are currently no offers, and he has three years remaining on his contract. I believe the answer has been given. [Sporting’s transfer plans] will remain unchanged from last year. We want to keep our best athletes and retain quality.
“We want to continue to be champions, have competitive teams, and fight on all fronts. In the years when Sporting were champions, we even made fewer sales than in other years… the fact that we are champions gives us a greater ability to retain players and talent. We have not had to sell any players in those times, not that we have not received offers, but the market is not under our control.
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