Manchester United's Dan Ashworth sold Viktor Gyokeres to Coventry for just £1m while at Brighton

Gyokeres has been linked with a move to Manchester United.

After selling the Swedish player for under £1 million while he was at Brighton, Manchester United sports director Dan Ashworth may be embarrassed if new boss Ruben Amorim requests to sign his Sporting Lisbon forward Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres’ hat-trick against Manchester City on Wednesday night helped Sporting win 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League, demonstrating his status as one of the game’s most sought-after strikers.

Ahead of Amorim’s upcoming reign at Old Trafford on November 11, the 26-year-old forward grabbed the stage at Amorim’s final home game as manager of the team. There has been increasing conjecture that the Portuguese manager will try to bring Gyokeres with him the following season.

Gyokeres had joined Brighton in 2017 but only made eight appearances before being transferred to Coventry in 2021 for a nominal sum of £1 million. You know who approved that move? Dan Ashworth, the technical director at the time. Gyokeres then showed glimpses of his magic for the Sky Blues.

After scoring 40 goals for Coventry over three seasons, he earned a £16 million transfer to Sporting, setting a club record for the Primeira Liga powerhouses. Since then, he has been a major hit, scoring 43 goals in his first 50 games to lead the team to the league championship.

Gyokeres has an exit provision in his contract worth over £80 million. So if United ever wants to sign him, they may have to pay a hefty price. However, it has been reported that he has an understanding with Sporting that will allow him to depart for less than £60 million next summer.

After departing a similar position at Newcastle earlier this year, Ashworth was brought on by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He has already played a significant role in a number of important acquisitions for Manchester United, including Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirzkee, Manuel Ugarte, and Matthijs de Ligt.

Given that Amorim just pledged not to raid Sporting for his star player in January, if United do look to the Swede, it won’t be until next summer.

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