Arsenal and Man Utd 'target' issues clear transfer message in response to links

Reported Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres has been speaking about his future amid endless talk of a transfer away from current club Sporting CP. The Swedish frontman has been sensational for Sporting, scoring 45 goals in 44 league games since arriving from Coventry City.

Reports suggest the striker has a release clause of £63million, an affordable fee for top European clubs in need of a goalscoring striker. Arsenal have been heavily linked, with talk Mikel Arteta will finally give in to calls to sign a goal-scoring striker amid a reliance on Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, neither of which are likely to top the scoring charts.

A number of other clubs have also been linked, including Manchester United, who have Gyokeres’ former head coach Ruben Amorim, whom he has to thank for easing his transition to Sporting. Crucially, though, the 26-year-old is in control of his own fate, whether the release clause is met or not.

And during international duty with Sweden, the striker was asked about his future and whether he could be on the move in the near future. He told Fotbollskanalenabout: “It's not something I think about, nor something I give any importance to. It's just rumours, nothing concrete. 

“Of course I want to finish the season at Sporting, I'm enjoying my time there. I don't feel stressed about making a change in the future. We'll see when the time comes.”

Speaking about Amorim and his departure, he added: “He meant a lot to me, given that he gave me an opportunity and helped me to develop a lot. Now, we're looking forward to working with the new coach [Joao Pereira].”

Arsenal have spent plenty over the last couple of years, and Gyokeres would be a huge investment, even at £63million, while Manchester United have already spent big on a striker in recent times, splashing out more than £70million to land Rasmus Hojlund. That could prevent them from signing another striker any time soon, but much will surely depend on what Amorim believes he needs to add to his own squad.