Viktor Gyokeres has dropped a clear hint over the club he wants to join amid major transfer interst in the Sporting Lisbon star.
Gyökeres has netted 32 goals across all competitions this season, so it raised some eyebrows when he was left on the bench during Wednesday’s Champions League loss to the previously winless RB Leipzig. The official explanation was that the 26-year-old was dealing with fitness issues, which led to him playing only the final 35 minutes. Despite this, Gyökeres managed to score his 32nd goal of the season, but Yussuf Poulsen netted a late winner for Leipzig.
Gyökeres has previously stated that he plans to finish the season in Lisbon before making a decision about his long-term future in the summer. That future now seems likely to be away from Portugal, as the 26-year-old is currently one of the top strikers in the world. He has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Barcelona, and Manchester United, the latter of which is managed by his former Sporting coach, Ruben Amorim.
The Sweden international has also dropped a strong hint about which club he may prefer. In an interview with UEFA’s website last month, Gyökeres revealed that both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo were his childhood inspirations. He said, “The players I looked up to were Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Gyökeres spoke about how his inspirations, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo, influenced his playing style, saying, “It’s about how they performed on the pitch. They went the extra mile, which impressed me. I wanted to do similar things on the pitch.”
Both Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo had notable stints at Manchester United. Ronaldo made his mark as one of the world’s best before his move to Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-record £80 million fee. Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, joined United on a free transfer in 2016 and had an impressive first season, scoring 28 goals in all competitions. However, his time at United was cut short by a serious knee injury in April, preventing him from playing a second full season.
