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(Credit: Manh Tung - Breaking Media, Imago)

Oliver Walton

Thu 7 August 2025 16:41, UK

Benjamin Sesko and his representatives have drawn unexpected inspiration from Viktor Gyokeres’ move to Arsenal in order to make a transfer to Man United happen instead of joining Newcastle.

The Slovenian international forward, who bagged 13 goals in 33 Bundesliga appearances for RB Leipzig last season, has been the subject of serious transfer interest from a number of Premier League sides this summer.

Sesko was mainly linked with a move to Arsenal in the early stages of the window, but the Gunners eventually chose to sign Gyokeres from Sporting instead, leaving Man United and Newcastle to battle it out for his signature.

(Credit: Getty Images)

The Red Devils reportedly entered negotiations with the Leipzig striker’s camp last month, and former United scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider on Tuesday (5 August) that the Old Trafford outfit were confident of beating the Magpies to signing Sesko.

According to a new report from The Athletic (7 August), Man United have now “reached an agreement in principle” with Leipzig for a €76.5million (£66.4m) deal for Sesko, and a new development around the impending switch has seen him copy Gyokeres and company to force the move over the line.

When Gyokeres agreed to join Arsenal last month, Portuguese outlet Record revealed that the Swede had given up €2m that was initially part of his salary package so that the Gunners were able to pay the £63.5m [Sky Sports] transfer fee to Sporting to get his deal over the line.

Gyokeres’ agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, also reportedly agreed to waive his cut of the deal, which was believed to be worth around €6m (£5.2m) [The Telegraph], although football finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider he couldn’t believe Cetinkaya would waive such a significant amount of money for his client to move to the Emirates.

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Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg (7 August) has now reported that, in order for Leipzig and United to agree a move, in-demand forward Sesko has agreed a similar deal to waive part of his salary, even though he could have earned more money at Newcastle.

He also states that his agency, led by Elvis Basanovic, has also relinquished a “significant share of the commission” due to them for brokering the transfer, and that their respective moves were necessary to push the move to Man United closer to being agreed.

With the capture of Sesko now looking highly likely to be completed as he flies into Manchester to do his medical and sign his contract over the next few days, Ruben Amorim may well be done in terms of his incoming business in the summer window.

United are believed to want to sign a capable midfielder alongside Sesko over the coming weeks, but according to The Athletic, Brighton do not intend to sell Carlos Baleba ahead of the new campaign, with the Cameroon international seemingly Amorim’s first-choice target in that position.

With that in mind, the Portuguese boss could well choose not to enter the market for a new number six, and instead go with what he has got for another year, as the Red Devils reportedly recognise that a move for Baleba now may be unrealistic, with “a raft of lucrative sales” needed for them to be able to afford big-money moves for Sesko and the Cameroonian.

AppearancesGoalsAssists87398Sesko’s Leipzig career stats

Whether Sesko will turn out to be a smart signing for the Old Trafford outfit is unclear, but they will be buoyed by the fact that he has turned down the chance to earn more money just to force through a move to their club.

Amorim will surely now be happy with his forward line after the signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and United fans will no doubt be excited for what the future holds as they look to return to the right end of the Premier League in the 2025/26 season.

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