Fabrizio Romano has explained how Manchester United missed out on a transfer target in the summer following comments in the media by the player’s agent.
Manchester United entered the summer transfer window with a striker one of the club’s top priorities.
United had already invested significant money in that position the two summers before, with Rasmus Hojlund arriving from Atalanta in 2023 and Joshua Zirkzee arriving from Bologna in 2024.
Unfortunately though, neither of those proved to be the solution to United’s problems in the frontline. Despite a promising debut campaign, Hojlund struggled for any kind of form during the 2024/25 season and Ruben Amorim seemed to prefer Zirkzee behind the striker, playing as a no.10.
United were linked to a host of strikers including Viktor Gyokeres, Ollie Watkins and Jean-Phillipe Mateta before eventually completing a deal to sign Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig.
Fabrizio Romano explains how United missed out on Gyokeres
It has now been revealed that before agreeing a deal to sign Benjamin Šeško, United had an agreement in place with Sporting CP to sign Viktor Gyokeres.
“Man United closed the deal with Sporting, and that’s the reality. At some point, Sporting were insisting and pushing to offer Viktor Gyokeres to Man United and to get the deal done for less money than Arsenal with Manchester United in terms of fixed fee, but with better bonuses,” Romano explained.
“United were ready to make the deal, but the problem then was always the player, Viktor Gyokeres with all respect for Man United, wanted to go to Arsenal and made very clear that his desire was to go to Arsenal.
“Sporting were pushing like crazy, there were three or four days where Sporting tried in every way to close the deal for Gyokeres to Man United,” the transfer guru reported.
Romano’s claim comes after Gyokeres’ agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, stunningly confirmed that Sporting and United had an agreement in place, despite Gyokeres’ desire to move to the red side of North London.
United ended up with the right striker
While Viktor Gyokeres is clearly a quality player, Manchester United ended up with the right fit for them in Benjamin Šeško.
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Šeško has an incredibly high ceiling and will be crucial to United’s long-term project. He also fits Ruben Amorim’s system to a tee. He likes to attack the space in behind, run the channels, is aerially dominant and can be deployed as a target man when adopting a more direct approach.
Gyokeres is also 27 years-old, and having already signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, two players in their prime, it made sense to target a more long-term signing in the striker position, especially as United aren’t in the position now to challenge for titles.
Šeško is a player who possesses an incredibly unique and complete profile: tall, incredible vertical jump, aerially dominant, fast, super ball-striking ability and very technically efficient for a player of his size. While Gyokeres has a superior goal-scoring record, Šeško has a far higher ceiling and is five years younger. In the end, United got the better deal financially, and also the better player.
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