New Delhi: Manchester United’s hopes of signing Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres were dealt a huge blow after Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas came out all guns blazing with a strong statement claiming that there is no ‘gentleman’s agreement’ for the player to leave for £59m amidst reports of a rejected bid from Manchester United.
Varandas responded to reports about Gyokeres’ transfer fee to leave the Portuguese club. The striker, despite having a 100m euros (£85m) release clause in his contract, last summer, was allegedly promised to be allowed to leave the club for 70m euros (£59m) this summer.
However, Varandas claimed that the club’s only promise to the Swedish international was that they would not demand his full release clause of 100m euros.
No agreement on Gyokeres’ transfer fee: Varandas
“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.
“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.”
The 27-year-old Swedish striker is one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe and has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Arsenal after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal’s top-division. league.
After spending three seasons with Coventry City in the Championship, he joined Sporting under current Man United coach Ruben Amorim.
Varandas further revealed that the talks of setting a fee for Gyokeres happened with his agents last summer, but the only promise the club made was not to demand his full release clause when a club came calling for the player.
Gyokeres’ reported fury and potential strike
Meanwhile, Gyokeres is reportedly furious with Sporting’s current stand and sees it as a breach of trust. According to a report in Record, Gyokeres has communicated to the club that he feels disrespected by the current situation and has threatened to go on strike.
The forward has reportedly told the club that he won’t return for pre-season with his actions, if found to be true, likely to make matters worse. Meanwhile, Man United, in urgent need of a prolific striker, find themselves in a limbo and would hope to bank on their good relations with Sporting to resolve the situation.
Manchester United’s pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres has hit a major snag. Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas vehemently denied any agreement to sell the striker for £59 million, despite previous reports suggesting otherwise. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
