Viktor Gyokeres sell-on clause and why it may back Manchester United into a corner

Viktor Gyokeres is the talk of the town after his hat-trick helped Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP inflict Manchester City’s biggest defeat since 2020 on Tuesday.

The 4-0 win marked a full circle from Amorim, who was in charge when the Blues ran rampant in their last Champions League visit to Lisbon - a 5-0 mauling in their Last 16 first leg tie in 2022. On the same night, Gyokeres started Coventry City’s 2-0 away defeat at Cardiff City.

After notching 43 goals in 116 games for Coventry, he attracted the attention of Amorim and Sporting sealed a deal worth around £20m in 2023. “I only brought Gyokeres to Sporting because of Ruben Amorim,” his agent later outlined.

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Cue the inevitable links with Manchester United, which have now only been heightened by his treble against City.

The Sweden international has insisted he is not plotting a reunion with Amorim in Manchester with the coach also already pointing to his £83.9million release clause as a potential sticking point.

“I will not take any of Sporting’s players in January,” Amorim told reporters last week. “Gyokeres costs €100m. It's very complicated.”

It is certainly complicated for United and Dan Ashworth, who was technical director at Brighton & Hove Albion when they sold Gyokeres to Coventry for £1m in 2021. The Championship club made a £19m profit on him two years later and are set for another influx.

Coventry included a 15 percent sell-on clause in his Sporting deal, which reduces to 10 percent should he reach certain success benchmarks. It means Sporting will try and hold