Arsenal face nervous 10-day deadline over top transfer target as Man Utd eye hijack

may have to wait until the conclusion of the Europa League final on May 21 to discover whether Viktor Gyokeres still favours a transfer to the Emirates Stadium over a move to . The Sporting striker is reportedly prioritising a switch to Arsenal, but at Old Trafford if there is football on offer.

Arsenal are desperate for attacking reinforcements after struggling in front of goal at times this season due to a lack of forward options. The Gunners have been forced to play Mikel Merino up front in recent months after Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz sustained long-term injuries. The club also failed to replace Eddie Nketiah and Mika Biereth after selling them last year and will be targeting fresh faces when the summer transfer window opens next month.

According to , Arsenal's new sporting director Andrea Berta has made Gyokeres his summer transfer priority after pursuing the 26-year-old when he was working for Atletico Madrid.

The north London giants are said to be ahead in the running for the striker's signature and will be able to offer him Champions League football unless they drop out of the top five in the Premier League before the end of the campaign.

Gyokeres spent almost 18 months working under Amorim at Sporting after the Portuguese coach signed the Sweden international from Coventry in July 2023.

The player is reportedly favouring a move to Arsenal but has told Amorim that a move to Old Trafford could be on the cards as long as United are playing in Europe's top tier club competition next season.

United are nowhere near the Champions League qualification places in the Premier League table after winning just 10 of their 35 top-flight matches ahead of their clash with West Ham on Sunday.

But they will qualify for the prestigious European competition if they can get the better of Tottenham in the Europa League final.

For the last decade, the Europa League champions have been rewarded for their endeavours with a place in the Champions League the following season. And United will be desperate to return to the competition following an underwhelming season domestically.

Gyokeres has been a revelation since joining Sporting and has bagged 95 goals and 28 assists in 100 appearances for the club.

He netted six times in the Champions League games earlier this season, including a hat-trick against Manchester City, and has also found the back of the net on 38 occasions during his 32 league outings this term.

He in contracted to his current employers until the summer of 2028 but is expected to move on at the end of the season, with a host of clubs chasing his signature.