Manchester United have been dealt a boost in the race for Viktor Gyokeres after Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign the Sporting CP forward. Gyokeres, 27, has emerged as a summer target for Ruben Amorim's side following an excellent season at Sporting, where he plundered 54 goals in 52 matches in all competitions.

It seems that every summer there is a messy and painful transfer saga that drags on throughout the course of the window. It usually involves Manchester United. Two summers of wrangling with Borussia

It was at that point that the entire saga took a turn. Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas accused Gyökeres’s agent of “blackmail” and rejected the existence of an agreement which would see the striker sold for well below his €100 million (£85.1 million, $115.4 million) release clause.