Manchester United could have saved themselves £73 million if they had taken an earlier opportunity to sign Benjamin Sesko.
It looks as though Manchester United are closing in on their fourth major signing of the summer after submitting a £73m bid for Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko wants to join United ahead of Newcastle, who have also been pushing hard for the RB Leipzig striker this summer.
It has also been reported that Sesko has agreed personal terms with United, meaning the final hurdle is for Ineos to reach a total agreement over the fee and structure of the payment.
If completed, Sesko will become Ineos’ most expensive signing at United so far, but the Red Devils came so close to signing him for a bargain fee during his academy days.
Dillon Hoogewerf in action for Manchester United's academy.
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Man United wanted ‘superstar’ youngster over Benjamin Sesko
Sesko has been a long-term target for United, dating back to before he had even made his professional debut.
During his time at Slovenian side NK Krsko, Sesko caught United’s eye by scoring 59 goals in 23 games during the 2017/18 campaign.
Sesko then continued his career at Domzale, and according to the Daily Mail, United turned down the opportunity to sign the Slovenian for as little as €2m (£1.74m).
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Instead, United opted to sign Ajax’s Dillon Hoogewerf, who was viewed as a “future superstar-in-waiting” at Carrington.
United signed Hoogewerf in 2019, but despite making a strong start in Manchester, the Dutch forward never reached his full potential.
Where is Dillon Hoogewerf now after Man United spell?
After making his move to Manchester, Hoogewerf starred for United’s academy, including some magnificent performances in the FA Youth Cup.
It seemed he was on track to fulfil his potential when Hoogewerf was scoring hat-tricks for United, and impressing at both U18s and U23s level.
However, a pathway to the first team never opened up and Hoogewerf left United in 2022 to join Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach.
In Germany, Hoogewerf also found it difficult to break into the first team, and his record in their youth teams didn’t match his output at United.
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Last summer, Hoogewerf joined Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem after impressing as a trialist there.
Hoogewerf broke into Vitesse’s first team last season, making 22 appearances, but he is yet to open his goalscoring account for the club.