The ultimate £100m decision that could cut short Højlund and Zirkzee's Manchester United career
The arrival of a new manager means there could be massive changes in Man Utd’s squad in the next transfer window
INEOS, the owners of Manchester United, are in the market for a new coach, a situation they didn’t anticipate when they affirmed their trust in Erik ten Hag at the end of last season. Now, they have to budget for a new coach while simultaneously working to reduce the club’s expenditure.
3 Added Minutes understand that they have agreed to pay the £10 million release clause to Sporting CP for their coach, Rúben Amorim. If appointed, he is expected to earn £6.65m annually at Manchester United.
As Red Devils fans await an official announcement of Amorim’s arrival, the club has also been linked to Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres, and fans are hopeful that Amorim might bring the Swedish forward with him. Gyökeres, a former Coventry City striker, has been in exceptional form since his current club paid £20m to bring him to Portugal.
Looking at his stats, Gyökeres could thrive at United under the same coach who has helped him flourish. However, his success comes with a high price tag: he has a £100m release clause in his contract. Even if Sporting were to negotiate, the fee would still represent a significant expense for INEOS, who are looking to reduce operational costs.
In just over two years, United have spent a total of £617m on 21 players, including £64m for Atalanta's Rasmus Højlund and £35m for Joshua Zirkzee in the last transfer window. Spending £64m on a striker one year and then again the next understandably makes INEOS hesitant to release substantial funds for another forward.
Instead, they may prefer to see whether Amorim can maximise the potential of Højlund and Zirkzee, determining if the players were the issue or if Ten Hag simply struggled to develop their talents.
While this cautious approach is understandable, it does risk losing Gyökeres to other suitors in the summer, when more clubs are likely to contest his signature. Gyökeres is in top form at the moment. In 15 games for Sporting Lisbon this season, he has scored 16 goals and provided 4 assists. Last season, he ended with 29 goals in 33 Portuguese league games. United need some goals, and the powerhouse Swede could be the man to finally deliver them.