Nani makes Viktor Gyokeres prediction amid Man Utd and Arsenal transfer talks

Viktor Gyokeres is being targeted by both Arsenal and Manchester United (Picture: Getty)

Nani has dismissed rumours that Viktor Gyokeres could go on strike at Sporting and expects the ‘professional’ forward to turn up for pre-season training if he is still on the club’s books.

Gyokeres’ future has been the subject of intense speculation on the back of a magnificent second season with Sporting, in which he scored 54 goals in 52 games to help steer the side to a domestic double.

It’s understood Arsenal and Manchester United have both held talks with Gyokeres’ camp with a view to bringing the 27-year-old to the Premier League, though neither club has managed to strike a deal with Sporting at this stage.

Gyokeres is thought to favour a switch to the Emirates and Arsenal’s sporting director, Andrea Berta, met with Gyokeres’ agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, to discuss a move for the prolific Swede last month.

But the Gunners failed with an opening offer of £46.8m – plus £8.5m in add-ons – for Gyokeres and Sporting’s president, Frederico Varandas, has accused Cetinkaya of ‘making the situation worse’ with his behaviour.

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While Gyokeres has a €100m (£85.1m) release clause in his contract in Lisbon, the attacker had been under the impression he could leave Sporting should the club receive an offer in the region of £59m.

However, Varandas has flat-out denied the existence of a supposed gentleman’s agreement with the striker’s camp and this has left Gyokeres ‘furious’, according to some reports in Portugal.

Gyokeres scored 54 goals across a phenomenal season with Sporting (Picture: Getty)

Nani left Sporting to join Manchester United in 2007 (Picture: Getty)

There have even been some suggestions that the former Coventry man could refuse to show up for pre-season training in order to force through a transfer to England.

Asked whether expects Gyokeres to turn up to training, ex-United and Sporting winger Nani said: ‘I believe so, he is a professional. I believe he will show up.

‘If he doesn’t show up it’s because he’s going to another club.’

Nani – who swapped Sporting for Old Trafford in 2007 – believes Gyokeres will continue to receive ‘the right support’, whether or not he moves on from the Portuguese champions this summer.

Arsenal failed with their opening bid for Gyokeres (Picture: Getty)

‘He is a fantastic player, who has done a lot for Sporting and has several clubs interested in him,’ the four-time Premier League winner added.

‘He knows that there is a lot of interest and it is natural that there is some anxiety until he has his life sorted out.

‘It starts to create that anxiety, but I am sure that, whether he stays or leaves, he will have the right support and will be satisfied.’

Arsenal and United are both in talks to sign the Sweden international (Picture: Getty)

Nani is confident Sporting will bring in sufficient cover for Gyokeres should the Sweden international up sticks and leave.

He continued: ‘If Gyokeres leaves, it was already planned and Sporting’s management certainly have everything ready to replace him.

‘Sporting had a very strong team with Gyokeres, but they also have other good players and will quickly bring in someone to compensate.

‘I believe it will be another positive year for Sporting, in which they will play good football and win again.’

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While Nani remains hopeful that Gyokeres could continue his stay with Sporting, he insists he has no inside information on what is happening behind the scenes.

‘If you ask me if I want him to stay, of course I do,’ he explained.

‘€80 million is a lot of money, but I’m not the president of Sporting, I’m not the one who invested in Gyokeres and I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes or what the plans were.

‘Now, he’s a great player and he’s always worth whatever they give him. If they give him a little more, that’s fair too.’

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