Viktor Gyokeres not worth more than £1 million - Dan Ashworth

Carlo Garganese

Updated: 8 Dec 2024 11:55 GMT
3 min read

Viktor Gyokeres, Man Utd, Sporting CP, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester United's now former sporting director Dan Ashworth sold Viktor Gyokeres for just £1 million while he was transfer chief of Brighton.

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Gyokeres is currently the most in-demand number nine in European football after an incredible past 18 months at Sporting Lisbon.

He is considered to be Man Utd’s number one transfer target next summer, with Ruben Amorim keen to reunite with the striker he coached at Sporting.

READ MORE: European Golden Shoe 2024/25

It will likely take United €100m - Amorim’s release clause - to sign him in 2025.

That is some increase on the cost of Gyokeres when Ashworth was last involved in negotiating a transfer deal for the striker.

Back in the summer of 2021, when Ashworth was sporting director at Brighton, the transfer chief sold Gyokeres to Coventry for just £1m.

He deemed him not good enough for Brighton as the Swede had scored just one goal in eight games over four seasons following his arrival from Brommapojkarna in 2017.

After a series of loan moves, Ashworth decided to part ways with Gyokeres.

He went from strength to strength at Coventry in the Championship, scoring 40 goals over two years, before moving on to Sporting in the summer of 2023.

Ashworth will certainly see the decision to sell Gyokeres so prematurely and cheaply as one of the biggest mistakes of his career.

He had been expected to lead negotiations for United to sign Gyokeres next summer but, in a shock move on Sunday, it was announced he was leaving the club after just five months in the role.

The news comes as a big embarrassment for United given Ashworth was supposed to be a key man in rebuilding the club. However, it may also save Ashworth some embarrassment in any negotiations for Gyokeres.

Gyokeres on fire

Gyokeres is the hottest striking property around right now and has made an incredible start to the new season, already scoring 25 goals in 22 games in all competitions.

This follows on from his brilliant form from last season for Sporting where he scored 43 goals in all competitions for his club.

The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona are also very interested in Gyokeres.

Gyokeres is expected to be sold by Sporting at the end of the 2024-25 season in order for the Sweden international to make the next step in his career.

Man Utd are favourites to sign him due to the presence of Amorim, who has made it clear that he wants his new club to go all-out and sign the striker.