Viktor Gyokeres snubs Manchester United and Arsenal as he chooses next club due to desire of playing with star forward: Reports

Arsenal and Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres is reportedly set to snub the Premier League sides in favor of a move to Barcelona. The news comes from Spanish outlet El Nacional, which claims that the Sweden international wants to play alongside the Catalan club's young star Lamine Yamal.

This would not seem surprising, given that the Spain international has established himself as one of the brightest talents in Europe. It would be ideal for Barcelona to acquire the services of Gyokeres and slot him beside Yamal in attack.

At the moment, Robert Lewandowski leads the line at Camp Nou, and the Polish number nine is now 36-year-old. With him contracted with the Catalan outfit till the summer of 2026, it is also about time that they look for his next long-term replacement.

Gyokeres has been in hot form of late and even bagged a hat-trick in Sporting's recent 4-1 win over Manchester City on Tuesday (November 5). So far this campaign, the 26-year-old has scored 23 goals and bagged four assists in 17 appearances across competitions.

A move to Barcelona may tempt Gyokeres, particularly because the Spanish side have been performing extremely well this campaign. They're currently top of the La Liga standings, nine points clear of arch-rivals second-placed Real Madrid.

Moreover, the Blaugrana are among the biggest clubs in the world, which would be without a starter in the number nine position fairly soon. Therefore, the lack of competition may be another factor that sways Gyokeres towards Barcelona over Arsenal or Manchester United.

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Former Tottenham star says Manchester United and Arsenal target is a better version of Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart is of the opinion that Arsenal and Manchester United linked Viktor Gyokeres is a better version of Erling Haaland. This may seem surprising, given the Norway international's goalscoring ability.

So far this campaign, Haaland has played 15 matches across competitions, bagging 14 goals in the process. Lavishing praise on Gyokeres, Van der Vaart said (via Metro):

"It sounds a bit crazy, but I think he [Gyokeres] is a bit of a better version of Haaland. Haaland is of course incredible, but Gypkeres has a bit more, or something."

Haaland has become one of the top strikers in Europe after netting 52 goals across competitions in his first season with Manchester City during the 2022/23 campaign. He also managed to score 27 goals in 31 Premier League matches in the previous season.