Aston Villa have been given a huge boost in their rumoured pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports.
The Swedish international striker’s stock has risen since his move to Sporting Lison from Sky Bet Championship side Coventry City in 2023, scoring 83 goals across 89 appearances in all competitions.
Such form has seen him linked with a move to the riches of the Premier League, with Manchester United deemed ‘frontrunners’ with Ruben Amorim eyeing-up a reunion with the 27-year-old.
But circumstances have now changed, with Unai Emery allegedly entering the race for his signature in the hope of finally replacing Jhon Duran, who left Villa Park for Saudi Arabia in January.
Give Me Sport has revealed Villa could perhaps have been given the edge in negotiations after hiring the individual instrumental in bringing Gyokeres to Coventry four years ago.
Chris Badlan was head of recruitment at the Sky Blues for almost five years and it was during that time he persuaded Mark Robins to take a chance on the forward.
Gyokeres was having a tough time in his career following dismal spells at Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, but Badlan saw something in him which saw the player given his second chance in the English second tier.
He went on to have an instrumental final season at Coventry where he scored 22 times and led them to a heart-breaking penalty shootout defeat to Luton Town in the Play-Off Final.
Villa are seen as outsiders for signing the striker, and they were yet to be really named in the race until this point, and whether they could finance a move for Gyokeres is another question, with claims the player has a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Sporting which could see him leave the José Alvalade Stadium for €100m (£84m).
A roadblock for any potential incoming could be the looming threat of PSR, with Villa seemingly needing to ‘sell to buy’ in order to comply with Premier League spending rules.
This means they’ll have to wait until they sell a ‘big-hitter’ before there’s any chance Gyokeres comes through the Villa Park entrance door.
Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey and Emiliano Martinez have emerged as the more likely ‘huge value’ departures with clubs across the world circling for their signatures.
Mark it as unlikely, but stranger things have happened in football!
