Manchester United have reportedly been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has emerged as a target for Paris Saint-Germain.
Ruben Amorim's Red Devils lost 3-2 against Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening in the Premier League, losing for the first time under the Portuguese manager.
Amorim's arrival at Old Trafford was met positively by fans, especially as many had grown dissatisfied with the direction of the club under previous boss Erik ten Hag.
The team have already changed style significantly under the new manager, with the team now primarily ditching a back four in favour of lining up in a 3-4-3 shape.
Gyokeres had been identified by some as an ideal candidate as the focal point in that formation, especially given Amorim coached the striker in Portugal, but Fichajes report that PSG lead the race to secure the forward's signature.
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Why Manchester United need Gyokeres
The Red Devils are in 13th place in the league table and have just 19 points after 15 matchweeks, and the club are already eight points from fourth-placed Manchester City.
One of the ways that Amorim could help United climb the table and push towards the division's Champions League spots would be by increasing the potency of their forward line.
The Red Devils have scored just 19 goals in the top flight, the joint sixth-worst record in the Premier League, worse than the likes of 19th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Gyokeres has netted 22 goals in just 18 games, and also scored a hat-trick against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on November 5.
There is no guarantee that Gyokeres would be able to replicate his displays for Sporting in England, but he would certainly provide creative players like Bruno Fernandes a real target to play towards in attack.
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The Kylian Mbappe heir?
Though PSG are first in Ligue 1, they are currently 25th in the Champions League table with four points from five matches in the competition.
Having lost Kylian Mbappe in the summer to Real Madrid, it is perhaps no surprise that the French club have struggled this season.
Mbappe managed to score 175 goals and produce 56 assists in Ligue 1 for PSG, and though Gyokeres is a striker and would not be a like-for-like replacement for the Madrid winger, he could potentially replace the Frenchman's output.
If PSG were to become involved in a bidding war for the Swedish forward, it is difficult to see how Manchester United would be able to compete financially, especially after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments regarding the need to run the club in an efficient financial manner.
However, if United want to compete at the top of the Premier League table, then significant investment into the squad will have to take place at some point given how far the squad appears to be from challenging the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Lewis Nolan
