Man Utd immediately identify Viktor Gyokeres alternative and hold upper hand over rivals

Manchester United are in the market for a new No.9 this summer but have seemingly switched their focus from Viktor Gyokeres with the Sweden striker keen on a move to Arsenal

Manchester United are said to be the only club who have made contact with Eintracht Frankfurt over Hugo Ekitike as they search for a new striker, with Viktor Gyokeres now favouring a move to Arsenal.

Gyokeres, 27, has been heavily linked with United in recent months after another stellar season for Sporting Lisbon. The Swede is well known by Ruben Amorim, who worked with him in Portugal before moving to Old Trafford last year.

But with Arsenal also in the frame and able to offer Champions League football, reports in Portugal claim Gyokeres is not currently angling for a move to Old Trafford.

United have since switched their focus to Ekitike and, according to Bild, have already expressed their interest in the Frenchman to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The report adds that, as things stand, United are the only club to make contact with the Bundesliga outfit despite recent links to both Chelsea and Liverpool.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Man Utd hold new striker talks, Arsenal pursue THREE forwards, Mbeumo latestREAD MORE: Man Utd target Bryan Mbeumo makes Thomas Frank claim amid Tottenham transfer battle

And as well stealing a march on their rivals, Markus Krösche, the sporting director at Frankfurt, is said to be friends with United’s head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, plus Ekitike is thought to be ‘open’ to the idea of moving to Manchester.

Ekitike, 22, enjoyed a stellar season for Frankfurt, who finished third in the Bundesliga despite losing the services of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in January.

The German outfit also have form for securing top money for their elite stars including Marmoush, who joined City for a huge transfer fee in the winter window, and Randal Kolo Muani in recent years.

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It’s said that Frankfurt value the France Under-21 star at around £85million – a sum which could prove too rich for United, who have already splashed £62.5m on a deal for Matheus Cunha and could end up spending a similar sum to bring Bryan Mbeumo in too.

Mbeumo is expected to leave Brentford this summer but is also attracting interest from Tottenham, who have just appointed the Bees’ boss, Thomas Frank, as their new manager.

The Cameroon star did not comment on transfer speculation during an impromptu interview at the Canadian Grand Prix but did tip Frank to be a big hit at Spurs, telling Sky Sports: “He’s done so much for me.

“He literally trusted me from the start [at Brentford] and he developed the team so well. He developed me as a human and a player so much as well. I can only wish him all the best and I’m sure he’s going to do well.”

He added: “He knows everything; he’s really smart and knows what he wants to bring the team, how he wants them to play. He’s been fantastic for Brentford.”

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