Barcelona hatch BIZARRE plan to beat Man Utd to Gyokeres

Tom Weber

• Updated: 26 Nov 2024 10:51 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona are plotting to sign Viktor Gyokeres and loan him back to Sporting CP for a year, according to Spanish media.

The Swedish sharpshooter continues to be the name on everyone's lips due to his amazing exploits in Portugal. Since moving to Sporting CP in 2023, Gyokeres has netted an absurd 67 goals in 69 games while also providing 19 assists.

Sporting have accepted that they won't be able to keep hold of him forever and have agreed to let the striker leave the club in the summer for €60 million to €70m, a significant reduction from his €100m release clause.

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim names his number one target for summer of 2025

Speculation surrounding the striker's next move has been rampant, with the likes of Arsenal long-term admirers while Man Utd have seemingly surged to the top of the pile since the arrival of Ruben Amorim.

However, there are more clubs who are keen on the 26-year-old and one of them is Barcelona.

Barcelona's Gyokeres plan

The problem Barcelona face, besides their delicate economic situation, is the fact that Robert Lewandowski is still frequently scoring for the club at 36 years of age.

The Pole is on course to trigger an automatic extension in his contract by playing 55 per cent of games this season, so he will remain with the Blaugrana until at least 2026.

Lewandowski has scored a brilliant 20 goals in 18 games this term, which means that there is no pressing need to add another centre-forward, but Barcelona would still like to plan for the future.

READ MORE: Romano reveals Amorim's 'top priority' target for Man Utd

Gyokeres has been identified as the preferred option, according to Sport, and the plan would be to sign him in 2025 'for a figure close to €70m' and leave him on loan at Sporting for another year.

It seems doubtful that Gyokeres would be prepared to remain in Lisbon for one more season, but the Spanish outlet claims that he is in fact keen to do so. The report does, however, acknowledge that this deal would be difficult for Barcelona due to the high-profile competition for the striker.