Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson reckons Manchester United have to sign striking sensation Viktor Gyokeres.
Sporting Lisbon star Gyokeres has emerged as one of the hottest properties in Europe. Gyokeres’s hat-trick to demolish Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night took his season’s tally to 23 in just 17 games.
In total, Gyokeres has plundered a stunning 66 goals in 67 matches since joining Sporting from Coventry City for just £20m in 2023. The 26-year-old now has a release clause in his contract worth €100m.
But it’s understood Sporting president Frederico Varandas agreed to consider offers in the region of €80m, if Gyokeres was willing to remain with Sporting until the end of this season.
The news will put some of Europe’s biggest clubs on red alert – and is expected to spark a mad scramble for his signature next summer. And the fact United have appointed the player’s former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim will make them one of the favourites to land Gyokeres.
(Image: Getty Images)
And Lawrenson believes it is a deal United have to get done.
He told Paddy Power: “If you were Rúben Amorim, you’d want Viktor Gyökeres to join you at Manchester United, because he knows what buttons to press and how to get the best out of him.
“When a manager joins a club from a different country, they tend to bring two or three players with them as it’s familiarity for them. If he’s available and United can get him, then they 100% should – especially if they can get him for the price that is being quoted.”