Man Utd ‘eye’ move ahead of Liverpool clash as £80m Man City tormentor ‘wanted’

Manchester United are reportedly ready to try and sign in-demand striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP this month as they seek for turn their season around. The Red Devils have endured a wretched run of late and are currently preparing for a trip to arch rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim’s side have lost their last four games in all competitions. They dramatically beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month but have failed to score in their last three Premier League games, suffering defeats to Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle United. They also exited the Carabao Cup with a 4-3 loss at Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter final on December 19.

The Daily Star reports that United will try to sign Gyokeres this month, having initially eyed a summer move for the former Coventry City striker. The Sweden international has been heavily linked with Premier League rivals Arsenal as the Gunners seek to add more firepower up front. However, Sporting are not willing to allow the striker to go cheaply. The Portuguese club paid a record €20m to sign him back in July 2023 but have slapped a huge price tag on his head to deter any suitors. Reports are that a deal to sign the player in January would cost upwards of £80m due to a release clause within the striker’s contract.

Gyokeres impressive record

Since joining Sporting CP, the striker has made 77 appearances for the club. In that time he has scored 70 goals and provided 21 assists. He showed glimpses of his potential at Coventry with 43 goals and 17 assists in 116 games but has more than justified Sporting breaking their transfer record to sign him. He scored a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League earlier this season as Sporting thrashed Pep Guardiola’s side 4-1 in what was Amorim’s final home game in charge of the club before making the move to Old Trafford.

Speaking after that game, Amorim said: “Those who were here and have seen Sporting over the last four years deserved a night like this. It was very special. But we shouldn’t stop here, it shouldn’t be a one-off. It was special in the circumstances but we have to think about the next match against Braga. Perhaps it was written in the stars we should end this way. I will keep these memories forever but I cannot enjoy them fully yet.”

Man Utd’s goal-scoring issues

As highlighted above, United have not scored in any of their last three Premier League games while conceding at least twice in each of those fixtures. Joshua Zirkzee was booed off the pitch after being substituted during the first half of the 3-0 loss at home to Newcastle United while Marcus Rashford has publicly said it is maybe time for him to leave the club. The pair have scored three and four goals each, respectively, in the Premier League this this season. Rasmus Højlund has just two goals.

Explaining his decision to bring Zirkzee off early against Newcastle, Amorim said: "I talked with Josh about that, because it's important to express the message, but I'm always thinking about the team, and, in that moment, it was important for the team [for] Josh [to] go out. You have to think about the team and also, sometimes about the player, because the player is suffering. I was there a few years ago and I know that he wants [it], because I saw it during the week, and that's the most important thing."