Manchester United look set to secure Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig this month despite significant interest from Arsenal earlier this summer.
Manchester United are on the verge of completing a deal for Benjamin Šeško, with Rúben Amorim aiming to make him the fourth senior signing of the summer.
After Bruno Fernandes led the scoring charts last season with 19 goals and only three other players reached double digits, Amorim prioritised strengthening the front line.
United have already brought in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in attack for close to £130 million, while 18-year-old left-back Diego Leon also arrived following a pre-agreement earlier this year.
A package worth around £74 million, including add-ons, has been submitted for Šeško, who was also a target for Newcastle. The Slovenian is expected to finalise his move to Old Trafford this week.
How close were Arsenal to signing Šeško?
United have not been the only club in for a striker this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Liverpool all dipping into the centre-forward market.
While Šeško looks destined to become Amorim’s new forward, he was close to signing for the Emirates side instead, although Arsenal eventually went with United target Viktor Gyökeres instead.
According to various reports, Arsenal started out their summer transfer planning with Šeško as their first-choice target, having tracked him for over a year, but became frustrated with RB Leipzig’s negotiations.
The German club reportedly refused to budge on their £79 million transfer valuation. Although The Athletic reported in early July that those in Germany insisted there was room to negotiate, the London side were not convinced and instead opted to pursue a deal for Gyökeres.
United’s key weapon made the difference
While Arsenal were seemingly unable to negotiate what they saw to be a more reasonable price for Šeško, United’s director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, who held the same role at Red Bull’s football project, has been a key weapon for the club.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Vivell was a key player in the transfer due to his intimate knowledge of the Red Bull group, but that Jason Wilcox, the club’s director of football, has also played a crucial role.
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“As I always told you, Christopher Vivell was working on this deal because he knows Red Bull Group very well, but also Jason Wilcox being crucial once again in these conversations, in these negotiations,” Romano explained on YouTube.
“[Wilcox] is also now taking care of the structure of the deal with Red Bull Leipzig, to change maybe the structure of the dons, to make it almost guaranteed the transfer fee.”
United are expected to reach a final agreement totalling a package of around £74 million, with a conclusion expected in the coming days.
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