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Viktor Gyokeres has told Manchester United he won't be joining them(Image: Getty Images)

Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres has set his sights on joining Arsenal after telling Manchester United that he won’t be moving to Old Trafford.

The Swedish striker feels he needs to join a club that will be playing in the Champions League next season and wants to challenge for the Premier League title.

Sources at United have refused to comment on reports from Portugal that the 27-year-old has told the club that he has no interest in linking up again with his former Sporting coach Ruben Amorim in Manchester.

But it is understood that the Reds have already started looking at alternative targets - and that they are ready to ramp up their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.

Ekitike, 22, the France Under-21 international has also been attracting the attention of Liverpool after scoring 22 goals for the German club last season.

But Frankfurt’s £80million valuation of the former Paris St Germain forward will have to be lowered significantly before United table a bid.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has made it his mission to add more goals to Mikel Arteta ’s squad next season.

READ MORE:Transfer news LIVE: Man Utd eye Mbeumo alternatives, Arsenal ready Gyokeres bid, Liverpool's striker searchREAD MORE:Arsenal respond after top target Viktor Gyokeres snubs Man Utd transfer

The Gunners have drawn up a shortlist that also includes RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Atletico Madrid’s former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez.

Berta met with Sporting director of football Bernardo Palmeiro in Menorca last week to discuss Gyokeres.

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The former Coventry striker has scored an impressive 97 goals in 102 games in Portugal.

Varandas has countered by claiming that while he did make a verbal agreement to sell Gyokeres for less than the £84.7million get-out clause stipulated in his contract he is yet to set a valuation.

Now Varandas is threatening to impose the full terms of the buy-out after being angered further by a threat that Gyokeres could go on strike to force through a sale.

United are also targeting Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo(Image: Getty Images)

The row is further complicated by Cetinkaya’s revelation that Sporting will have to pay him almost £6million if they reject an official bid of £51million up front and £8million in add-ons.

But according to sources close to Sporting, they have told coach Rui Borges to prepare for the next season without his top goalscorer and have started the process of recruiting a replacement.

There has also been confirmation from Portugal that Coventry will get a 10 percent cut of any fee that Sporting generate from selling Gyokeres.

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