Arsenal and Manchester United have purportedly been dealt a setback in their pursuits of Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, as a La Liga giant may have a key advantage in the race.
The Sweden international is expected to be on the move this summer after flexing his attacking muscles in Portugal, where he has come up with an outrageous 52 goals in 49 appearances this season.
A transfer to either the Emirates or the Theatre of Dreams is thought to have been Gyokeres's most likely next career move, and it was claimed on Thursday that his preference was to join the Gunners.
New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is leading the charm offensive to sign the former Coventry City man, whom he also tried and failed to strike a deal for while he was working for Atletico Madrid.
However, even without Berta in control of the purse strings, Mundo Deportivo suggests that Atletico could still leapfrog Arsenal and Man United in the race to sign Gyokeres this summer.
Atletico's 'advantage' over Arsenal, Man United in Gyokeres hunt revealed
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Los Colchoneros are believed to have made a 'formal enquiry' to understand the striker's situation, and they could even receive outside support from shirt manufacturer Nike.
Atletico and the sportswear brand recently extended their partnership through to 2035, and Nike are apparently desperate to see Gyokeres line up for one of the teams they are partnered with.
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain also have their kits manufactured by Nike, but the former's interest in Gyokeres has seemingly gone cold, while the Ligue 1 champions are not considered serious contenders.
In contrast, Arsenal and Man United both have deals with Adidas, but Nike would allegedly be willing to go as far as paying part of Gyokeres's transfer fee to ensure he ended up at Atletico Madrid.
The Sweden international's contract with Sporting contains a €100m (£84.6m) release clause, but Sporting are expected to be open to offers closer to the €70m (£59.2m) mark as a token of thanks for his service to the club.
Gyokeres has amassed 122 goal contributions in 99 matches for the Portuguese giants - 95 of his own and 27 assists - since arriving in a £20.3m deal from Championship side Coventry City in 2023.
Should Arsenal, Man United be worried about Atletico threat?
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One of the biggest transfers of the summer hinging on which logo will appear on the shirt would be a new one, but neither Arsenal nor Man United should be seriously concerned.
The report goes on to explain the phenomenon of 'parasitic marketing', which both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were prominent examples of during their time at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
While Barca sported Nike jerseys, Messi had a personal contract with Adidas, whereas Ronaldo wore Adidas-manufactured Real Madrid kits despite his own brand deal with Nike.
Gyokeres could surely expect a more lucrative club contract in the Premier League too, and if Arsenal play their cards right, he should be lining up in their red and white rather than Atletico's red and white in 2025-26.
Ben Knapton
