Advisor backs 'madman' Viktor Gyokeres to join Arsenal as Man Utd ...

Arsenal cannot be discounted from the race to sign Viktor Gyokeres after the Sporting CP striker’s advisor explained why a move to the Gunners would suit him more than Manchester United – while the Swede’s opinions of a move to the Red Devils could also count against them.

Gyokeres is the hottest striker in world football right now having blasted in a quite frankly ridiculous 66 goals in 68 appearances since moving to the Portuguese capital from Coventry City. Having paid a bargain €20m (£16.6m, $21m) for the Swede in the summer of 2023, Sporting have good reason to believe they can more than triple that initial investment owing to a sizeable exit clause in his contract and amid strong links to the Premier League in 2025.

That chase has been led for a long time for Arsenal, who strongly looked at signing the 26-year-old over the summer before deciding instead to bid for Benjamin Sesko. But when the bid for the RB Leipzig man failed, Mikel Arteta decided instead to opt for Kai Havertz in a more central striking role. Nonetheless, Arsenal’s interest in signing the player remains true.

But with Ruben Amorim defecting from Sporting to Manchester United earlier this month, the Red Devils are now regarded by many as the favourites to sign Gyokeres in 2025. The two enjoyed a hugely fruitful relationship, winning the Primeira Liga title together and with the striker crediting the 39-year-old head coach for significantly aiding his rise in the game.

However, the player’s close confidant and former Gunners star Anders Limpar has revealed he has told him he should look no further than Arsenal when deciding his next club.

“I know Gyokeres very well personally, I was a bit of a mentor for him when he played for Brommapojkarna, he and Ludwig Augustinsson. So, I’ve talked a lot about professional life with him,” Limpar told FotbollDirekt.

“He’s a fantastically hardworking forward who scores a lot of goals. If we at Arsenal [were to] buy Gyokeres, then he would definitely call me. But then to see Gyokeres at Arsenal, that would be crazy.”

Hailing the striker’s best qualities, Limpar added: “His work rate, he runs like a madman. When it doesn’t work out for Viktor, he works his way into the game with uncomfortable runs.

“When other top forwards aren’t doing well, they don’t work so hard for the team, they save their energy, Viktor never saves his energy. When things are a bit slow, he works his way into a game with runs, that’s why it has gone so well.”

DON’T MISS

▶️ The top five Arsenal striker targets RANKED based on suitability for Arteta’s side

▶️ CNN journalist hopes Viktor Gyokeres joins Liverpool with Man Utd facing brutal snub

Gyokeres opens up on transfer and why he’s ideally suited to the Prem

Limpar, who starred for Arsenal between 1990 and 1994 and is now 59 years of age, claims the striker would be ideally suited to the Premier League and would have the qualities to hit the ground running.

“We have to remember that the Portuguese league is inferior to the Premier League, but when Manchester City came to visit Lisbon, he scored a hat-trick, so he’s fully capable of scoring in England.

“He has played for Coventry and scored goals, he knows the English mentality. I think his next step is to play in the Premier League and he can really choose which team he wants to play in,” Limpar concluded.

While sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Gunners interest in Gyokeres remains very much alive and we have been told Mikel Arteta’s side cannot be discounted from the race to sign the striker, the player himself – fresh from a four-goal salvo for his country in a 6-0 Nations League thumping of Azerbaijan – is adamant he will see out the season in Portugal at the very least.

“It’s fun, but not something I attach any importance to because it’s talk,” Gyokeres told Fotbollskanalen. “These are rumours, nothing concrete. Of course, I want to finish the season at Sporting. I enjoy my time there.”

On talk of a January move to Old Trafford, he added: “He [Amorim] probably has some strikers there already, so we’ll see. But it’s not something I think about. Of course, you want to play out the season at Sporting and I enjoy myself there, so there is no stress for me to make a move in the future. We’ll see when the time comes.”

On Amorim, he added: “It is very sad that he is leaving, but of course we understand his decision.

“He has obviously meant a lot considering that he gave me that chance and that he made me develop so much. Now we look forward to working with the new coach.”

However, sources have confirmed to us that there is a growing acceptance at the Primeira Liga side that he will be allowed to move on come the end of the season. To that end, Sporting will have little choice but to sell the player to the highest bidder come the summer window and we understand there is every chance that Gyokeres will be a Premier League player come the 2025/26 season.

It’s also been reported, albeit unconfirmed at this stage, that Gyokeres does not fancy a move to Old Trafford, feeling the Red Devils are too far behind the very top sides in England and that there is a good chance by moving there he will not be in the Champions League, next season at a minimum.

Latest Arsenal transfer news: Superb Arda Guler plan / Isak interest remains

Gyokeres is not the only Sweden striker Arsenal are trailing and our transfer correspondent Fraser Gillan has confirmed this week that the club remain hot on the trail of Newcastle attacker Alexander Isak.

To aid their chances, Newcastle have reported named their price for the striker’s sale and have also identified two potential replacements for their rangy 6ft 4in hitman.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are also being linked with an exciting move for Real Madrid star Arda Guler, who has become frustrated by his lack of opportunities at the Bernabeu this season.

In a move branded ‘Martin Odegaard 2.0’, the Gunners are reportedly keen to sign the player on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are described as the ‘standouts’ in the race to sign Las Palmas talent Alberto Moleiro amid claims the winger could follow in the footsteps of Barcelona ace Pedri.

The attacker can operate as a central midfielder or off the left wing and has been told he can leave for a relatively modest fee.

The goalscoring rise of Viktor Gyokeres