Sporting Lisbon goalscoring sensation Viktor Gyokeres has been urged to snub Manchester United and join another Premier League club instead.
United are believed to be leading the race to sign Gyokeres, who has scored 67 goals in 71 appearances for Sporting, following ex-Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim’s appointment at Old Trafford.
Gyokeres was playing in the Championship 18 months ago but is now viewed as one of the best strikers in Europe.
The 26-year-old scored 43 goals during his first season at Sporting Lisbon and already has 24 in 21 this term, including three hat-tricks.
One of those came against Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions Manchester City in the Champions League.
While Amorim’s United could well launch a move for Gyokeres during the January transfer window, Emmanuel Petit has questioned why the striker would want to go to Old Trafford and says a move to Arsenal makes more sense.
Petit believes Gyokeres would be the ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ for an Arsenal side who have come agonisingly close to winning the Premier League over the past two seasons.
Currently third, Arsenal look set for another title challenge this season while Manchester United, sitting just 11th, desperately look to climb the table.
Ex-Premier League star Petit told Gambling Zone: ‘Why would Viktor Gyokeres look at both situations at Arsenal and Manchester United and choose to join United?
‘I know his former manager is there, but there’s nothing much going for United as they already have Hoijlund, Zirkzee and Rashford in that position.
‘Arsenal is a much more attractive proposition for him, especially as Havertz does not seem like an out and out number nine and Gabriel Jesus isn’t really performing.
‘Gyokeres should really consider Arsenal as I think he could be their final missing piece of the jigsaw for Mikel Arteta.
‘I love the way he plays far away from goal and his hold up play, it’s something he could really add to Arsenal.’
While Portuguese champions Sporting and star striker Gyokeres have been in superb form this season, they have suffered a wobble over the past week, losing two games in a row, including a humbling 5-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Gyokeres has only scored once in four games since his impressive hat-trick against Manchester City at the start of November.
Despite this, Sporting Lisbon – now managed by their former defender Joao Pereira – remain four points clear at the top of the table as they bid to win a second successive league title.
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