Arsenal's secret weapon could slash Man Utd advantage in £63m Viktor Gyokeres battle

Viktor Gyokeres was hot property even before his stunning hat-trick against on Tuesday night.

The Sporting striker is being linked with , and . And it's no wonder, with Gyokeres on course to beat last season's stunning 43-goal haul after netting 23 times in his first 17 matches this term.

United are naturally assumed to hold the advantage in any future transfer tussle, given that their incoming manager already has a fruitful working relationship with the 26-year-old and is likely to put in a good word with sporting director .

Though Sporting would naturally love to keep hold of their goal machine, they reportedly have a gentleman's agreement which would allow him to leave for next summer - around £20m less than the value of his release clause.

Arsenal cannot offer a reunion with Amorim, but they do have something tempting of their own to put on the table. Losing a player of Gyokeres' stature would force Sporting to venture into the transfer market for a replacement - and centre-forwards of the Swede's calibre do not come cheap.

The Gunners, therefore, could make their life easier by offering a player in return. Step forward: Gabriel Jesus.

Now in his physical prime at 27 years old, Jesus needs to be brimming with confidence and playing regular football. He showed what he can do when the mood is right across five-and-a-half seasons at Manchester City, where he scored 95 goals in 236 games.

The Brazilian moved to Arsenal in 2022 with hopes of becoming the main man up top. But the switch has not gone according to plan, and Jesus now finds himself firmly on the fringes, with no goals in 113 minutes of Premier League action this season.

The Liga Portugal could offer the Gunners outcast a valuable opportunity to rediscover his scoring touch in an environment which, with all due respect, makes it easier for forwards to rack up goals.

Being a native Portuguese speaker would help the settling-in process, and trading places with Gyokeres would all but guarantee him the vacant spot up front in Sporting's starting line-up.

While proposing Jesus in a player-plus-cash arrangement would not necessarily sway Gyokeres towards the Emirates Stadium, it could allow Arsenal to pip their transfer rivals to a speedy agreement with Sporting if others are reluctant to meet the £63m price tag. And that may prove pivotal in the bid to land one of Europe's hottest strikers.