Manchester City were put to the sword by Sporting CP on Tuesday – and it was very much a night for Erling Haaland to forget.
It was a night for the whole team to forget, but Haaland will have been kicking himself for missing a penalty.
The Norwegian is usually so deadly from the spot. But it just wasn’t meant to be on Tuesday night as Ruben Amorim gave Manchester United fans something to smile about.
One man who did not fluff his lines from the penalty spot though was Viktor Gyokeres, a player who is in the form of his life right now.
The striker scored a brilliant hat-trick, and rather stole Haaland’s thunder in Lisbon in the Champions League.
There is a lot of buzz about Gyokeres at the moment and strong speculation that he could be on his way to the Premier League – and he would definitely make things interesting in terms of the Golden Boot race.
Top clubs on alert as Viktor Gyokeres transfer clause shared
It has been reported this week by The Times, that Gyokeres actually has a gentleman’s agreement with Sporting CP to leave the club for a fee small than his release clause.
Apparently Gyokeres has a release clause of £83 million in his contract. But Sporting would let him go for around £63 million.
Currently, Manchester United – who are about to welcome Amorim as their new manager – and Arsenal are keen on Gyokeres.
Manchester City have also been suggested as a potential next destination for Gyokeres. But this would only be realistic if Haaland soon left, which isn’t particularly likely.
Pep Guardiola also downplayed the notion of Gyokeres playing for Man City, ahead of Tuesday night’s game, because he has Haaland.
So it’s very possible that Gyokeres could come to the Premier League, and become a rival to Haaland.
Haaland could have big competition for the Golden Boot in Gyokeres
Gyokeres may have scored two of his goals from the penalty spot the other night, but there is no denying his quality.
He has seriously impressed at Sporting since joining them in the summer of 2023, scoring 66 goals in just 67 appearances so far.
He has now established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe, and there is very much a feeling that he will be moving on next summer given all the interest in him.
| Erling Haaland for Man City (2024/25) | Viktor Gyokeres for Sporting CP (2024/25) |
| Appearances – 15 | Appearances – 17 |
| Minutes played – 1312 | Minutes played – 1436 |
| Goals – 14 | Goals – 23 |
| Assists – 0 | Assists – 4 |
With Amorim heading to United, it feels almost inevitable that the Red Devils will try to sign him. Given how well Gyokeres has done under Amorim, it is hard to see him saying no to that particular transfer.
Gyokeres doesn’t really feel particularly likely for City since Haaland is settled and unaffordable for other clubs. Gyokeres certainly wouldn’t come to City to play as a back-up.
So everything points to him becoming a potential rival for City’s number nine, who has won two Golden Boots in a row.
