What is going on with Viktor Gyokeres? Blackmail claims, Man Utd rejection reports and how the Sporting CP superstar's summer isn't going as planned

Gyokeres' contract with Sporting contains a €100 million (£84m/$115m) release clause, although no club has expressed any interest in paying it and would prefer to negotiate a fee instead given the striker's age and the fact he is still yet to prove himself at the highest level. That had been anticipated both by Sporting and by Gyokeres and his agent Hasan Cetinkaya, who reportedly negotiated "a verbal agreement" that the striker could leave at the end of the season for €70m (£59.6m/$81m).

When asked whether Gyokeres would be sold for that amount, Sporting president Frederico Varandas blew his top: "I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for €70m because I never promised that. Sporting will not accept blackmail and insults – you should know me better by now."

Varandas then opened up on the conversation he had held with Cetinkaya the previous year, explaining: "One of the agent's biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause. He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now. For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for €100m. In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: 'It's not worth us setting a value because I don't know what will happen in a year's time. I don't know if it will be €40m, €60m or €80m. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand €100m."

Varandas also revealed: "To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres - neither today nor last season." That might sound odd given the speculation around the striker over the last year, speculation that was driven by two obscene runs of form.

Gyokeres began the season in an imposing manner, scoring 14 goals in nine matches for club and country between August and September. He followed it with an even more ridiculous goal-scoring streak, as he netted 17 times in nine matches through the autumn, a run which included him bagging a hat-trick against Manchester City, scoring four times against Estrela da Amadora and netting another four-goal haul for Sweden against Azerbaijan.

United felt like a natural choice for Gyokeres once his coach Ruben Amorim left Sporting to join the Red Devils in November. The Portuguese faced multiple questions about Gyokeres from his compatriots in his first press conference at Carrington, but resisted getting drawn into it, and soon enough his disastrous run of results made the story go away.

Put simply, United’s spiralling fortunes have made Old Trafford a less attractive destination, especially for a player who recently turned 27 and is hoping to win a major league title. The team that finished 15th in the Premier League last season, below the likes of West Ham, Everton, Fulham and Brentford, no longer feels like the natural home for the most prolific striker on the continent, especially as United cannot offer him Champions League football or even European football of any form after blowing the Europa League final.

Reputation, history and one of the biggest followings in the world are the only pull factors for United now. The chance to reunite with the coach who unlocked his potential might be another motivation, but it pales in comparison to what is on offer elsewhere, such as at Arsenal.

The Emirates Stadium has long been reported as a more realistic destination for Gyokeres than United, even more so since new sporting director Andrea Berta began his role in March. It is easy to see why: The Gunners have been crying out for a prolific centre-forward for the last three seasons due to Gabriel Jesus' lack of goals and vulnerability to injury, and their biggest mistake of last summer was not signing a new striker, leaving Kai Havertz to toil there before midfielder Mikel Merino stepped in when the German ruptured his hamstring in February.

A reliable and proven goal-scorer is the only missing piece for an Arsenal side that have finished second in the title race in the last three seasons and keep going deeper and deeper into the Champions League. Any aspiring player watching Mikel Arteta's side destroy Real Madrid home and away in Europe would surely be desperate to join them, and it is little wonder then that reports claim that Gyokeres would prefer a move to Arsenal ahead of United, and has even rejected the Red Devils' advances.

But Gyokeres is not the only striker Arsenal have been looking at. They have been putting resources into signing Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, who is five years younger than the Swede and already has experience in Europe's top five leagues, having scored 27 times in the Bundesliga over the last two seasons. And according to the latest reports, the Gunners are leaning towards Sesko or Ollie Watkins and away from Gyokeres. Looking at the drama around the Gyokeres deal, you could understand their reasoning.

Juventus have stepped into the void and are willing to take advantage of the uncertainty. The fallen Italian giants have financial room for manoeuvre after sneaking back into the Champions League, and they want a new striker as they look to offload the inconsistent Dusan Vlahovic one year before his contract expires and he leaves for free. The Bianconeri have reportedly reached out to Gyokeres’ representatives and informed them they will meet his salary demands of £11m ($15m).

Juve have as rich a history as United, but although they are in a better position than the Red Devils, they are not exactly a safe bet. They clinched Champions League qualification on the final day of the season courtesy of a late penalty and have not seriously challenged for the Serie A title since 2020. Italian football has also ceased to be the powerhouse it once was, as was brutally demonstrated by Inter’s capitulation to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

Gyokeres and his representatives have another two months until the season begins and another 10 weeks until the transfer window closes, so they have the luxury of being able to wait and see if more tempting offers come up while also continuing to persuade Varandas to drop his asking price.

And yet, the recent murmurings around the deal suggest that there are still doubts as to whether Gyokeres can come close to replicating his astonishing numbers at the highest level. Many players who have scored goals for fun in Portugal have not found the step up easy.

Goncalo Ramos scored 19 times for Benfica two years ago, but has been hugely underwhelming since joining PSG for a deal worth up to £68m ($92m). He has netted just 21 Ligue 1 goals across two seasons, and he only started one game in Luis Enrique’s side’s run to Champions League glory, getting just a smattering of minutes off the bench.

It will also not have gone unnoticed that Darwin Nunez has flopped at Liverpool after his £85m ($115m) move from Benfica. Strikers destroying nets in Portugal only to flounder in more competitive leagues is nothing new; Jackson Martinez was top scorer in the country for three consecutive seasons at Porto, but endured a miserable season with Atletico Madrid and his career never recovered.

It is also worth noting that Gyokeres' goal gluts with Sweden came after they were relegated to Nations League C, pitting them against minnows such as Azerbaijan and Estonia. So despite all the interest and intrigue Gyokeres has generated this summer, there is still some caution around him. It feels like he does not have the world at his feet as it first appeared and might have to settle for a club with a big history but not necessarily a bright future.

The situation at United has become so desperate that they would be ready to give in to the demands of Gyokeres and Varandas if they believe he can solve their striking woes. United are cursing the mistake of gambling on the potential of Rasmus Hojlund and paying £72m ($97m) for a player who had scored only nine Serie A goals for Atalanta, and thus they may be willing to acquiesce to the Portuguese outfit's requests to get their man.

Gyokeres may be playing at a lower level, but his stats are still outstanding, averaging 1.25 goals last season for every league start. Remarkably, that is more goals per start than the whole United squad managed. So despite the much trumpeted talk of him rejecting United, a reunion with Amorim cannot be ruled out.