Manchester United's rumoured interest in Sporting Lisbon talisman Viktor Gyokeres stemmed from November when Ruben Amorim was poached from his club.
It was no secret at that point that a centre-forward would be needed sooner rather than later. There had been a hope that United would dive into the striker market during the January transfer window but that failed to pass.
Amorim himself admitted that he did not want to sign any Sporting players midway through the season but that the summer was a different question entirely. However, as Gyokeres continued to score, the more interest grew in his services.
Arsenal, who looked at Gyokeres in the summer of 2024, re-emerged in the race and have slowly but surely overtaken United in the race to sign the Swede. Now, reports in Portugal have suggested that a deal for the striker is all but confirmed.
O Jogo led with the headline that the 'Swede is on his way to Arsenal,' amid reports that a £58.9m fee is close to being agreed. The desire from Gyokeres' end and Sporting's will be that the move is finalised sooner rather than later to end the suspense.
As things stand, United are on the outside looking in and must turn any remaining attention on Gyokeres towards other targets. If this report emanating from Portugal is correct, Ineos and Amorim will need to respond by honing their efforts on Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.
The former Manchester City man has a £30m release clause in his current Suffolk contract, and MEN Sport understands that United are willing to activate it. The problem is that United are fully aware of Chelsea's interest in Delap too and could be forced into a transfer battle which may become harder if the Blues have Champions League football and the Reds do not.
If Gyokeres is taken off the table by Arsenal, United are suddenly in a situation where they need to sign a striker and there are very little options left. Newcastle United's Alexander Isak and Napoli's Victor Osimhen are both deemed to be unrealistic for differing reasons so Delap is the last option left before United have to return to the drawing board.
As such, United will be wanting to work quickly to bring Delap to Old Trafford to avoid any delays to Amorim's rebuild. Gyokeres' expected Arsenal move could escalate the Reds' transfer strategy and only time will tell if that is for United's benefit or not.
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