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Manchester United did indeed secure a deal with Sporting CP for Viktor Gyokeres this summer, but it appears the star striker was left in the dark.
The Swedish forward's team allege they were kept out of the loop as the Red Devils proposed a transfer fee exceeding what Arsenal had offered. Despite the conflict with his former club, Gyokeres eventually made his move to the Emirates in a big-money deal.
The 27-year-old even went on strike before the Gunners could finalise a deal with the Portuguese side. It was widely anticipated that Arsenal's No. 14 would depart Lisbon following two incredibly successful seasons in Portugal, and he didn't show up for pre-season training in an attempt to expedite a move that his team believed was already settled.
After moving on from Benjamin Sesko due to the RB Leipzig striker's wage demands, the north London side identified Gyokeres as their primary target
Sesko ended up signing for United as the Red Devils shelled out for the Slovenia international. However, Jonathan Chalkias, an assistant to Gyokeres' agent Hasan Cetinkaya, has hinted that Sporting were attempting to steer his client in that direction.
Chalkias revealed that a switch to Arsenal offered Gyokeres far more than the extravagant figures put forward by Saudi Arabian clubs, and that the transfer held greater appeal than reuniting with Ruben Amorim.
"There were crazy amounts offered from Saudi Arabia. We're supposed to act in our best interest," Chalkias told the Studio Allsvenskan podcast via the Daily Mail.
"Do we have also have a percentage (of any fee)? Of course. It's a lot of money. Maybe Viktor should respond to that some day.
"I don't think we pressured him once to accept the offer. At the end of the day, money comes and goes and this move to Arsenal brings us a lot of marketing.
"They (Sporting) had concluded a deal with Manchester United behind our backs, that was a problem. United offered a higher transfer fee."
Chalkias also responded sharply to Sporting chief Frederico Varandas' condemnation of Gyokeres. The executive issued a remarkable statement declaring he would not be blackmailed when Gyokeres went on strike.
Disagreement arose over what had been settled regarding Gyokeres' departure and the striker's representatives maintain the club reneged on their promise following Hugo Viana's exit for Manchester City.
"If (Hugo) Viana were still at Sporting, the deal would have been done within an hour. Everything was written but we didn't have time to start a legal battle," Chalkias revealed.
"I don't understand how a player who scored so many goals and won three trophies didn't deserve more respect. The industry is about trusting people. The sacrifices we made were probably the turning point in getting the deal done.
"They offered him to Real Madrid, made headlines with Madrid and even United, but from day one there was a commitment to Arsenal."
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