Manchester City are reportedly eyeing up a move for Sporting Lisbon marksman Viktor Gyokeres should Erling Haaland depart from the Etihad next summer.
Manchester City are reportedly prepared to pursue Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres should Erling Haaland leave next summer.
The Sweden international has made a seismic impact in Portugal since securing a switch from Championship outfit Coventry City for £15m during the summer of 2023.
During his first campaign in the Primeira Liga, Gyokeres bagged a mammoth 29 goals across 33 top-flight appearances, helping Sporting Lisbon to the domestic crown.
The former Swansea City loanee has started this term in similarly impressive fashion, bagging 12 goals across 11 matches in all competitions.
As a result, Gyokeres has found the net a staggering 55 times in just 65 competitive appearances since moving from the English Sky Blues last year.
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Man City eyeing up Gyokeres as Haaland replacement?
According to publications in Spain via Football365, Manchester City could be in the race for a new striker should Haaland decide to leave next summer.
The report claims that the Norwegian goal machine is highly likely to depart from the blue side of Manchester if Pep Guardiola also moves away.
As a result, the Citizens would be in the market for a top-class forward, with Sporting Lisbon star Gyokeres certainly fitting that bill.
Man City’s incoming sporting director Hugo Viana knows the Swede extremely well from his time at Sporting and could make the 26-year-old his first major signing at the Etihad.
As well as the Premier League champions, it is understood that Barcelona are monitoring the situation of Gyokeres, with the Catalan club also keen on Haaland.
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Could Man City survive without Haaland?
Scoring 10 times in the Premier League so far this season, Haaland has netted over half of Man City’s goals in the competition, highlighting his monumental importance to the team.
That being said, there is arguably a reality in which the Citizens continue to dominate the English game without the Norwegian in attack.
With the ability to provide a football club with a base level of success like no other manager in football currently, Guardiola is the key cog in the Man City machine.
Should the Spaniard end his nine-year association with the club next summer, it is not hard to imagine the Citizens’ chokehold on the domestic scene loosening dramatically.