Manchester United have struck a deal to sign Benjamin Sesko, with situations evolving for club and player.
Rewind to May, and Manchester United’s failure in the Europa League Final cast a dark shadow over the club, capping a horrendous season.
United’s transfer strategy appeared to have taken a hit, despite a planned move for Wolves maestro Matheus Cunha.
The big question was striker, with United dealt a major blow from the failure to land Champions League football. In the immediate aftermath of the Europa League Final defeat, it appeared that the club’s finances would be hit hard, along with the pulling power.
As the weeks have gone on, the bigger picture has healed the latter. United are still a gigantic club who players are desperate to play for, with Bryan Mbeumo snubbing Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in favour of the Red Devils.
But there was one striker deal that was influenced by the Champions League effect, with United losing out on Liam Delap.
Liam Delap in action for Chelsea at the Club World Cup.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Liam Delap was Man Utd striker target
Manchester United entered the transfer window intending to spend £30 million on a striker, targeting Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap.
Delap had been favouring Manchester United in early May. This changed after the season, with Delap opting to sign for Chelsea in a £30 million deal, where he will get the chance to play Champions League football next season.
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The same age as Sesko, 22, Delap has Premier League experience but also lacks international and Champions League experience, which the Slovenian does have already. United are now set to spend more than double to sign the RB Leipzig striker.
Transfer insider Graeme Bailey explains, telling United In Focus: “Liam Delap was the prominent target early on, there is no getting away from that. This was a player that Jason Wilcox liked, he knew him from Manchester City and the analytics were good.
“United wanted to get business done early and at that price he was just too good not to go for.
“They publicly went for him making him their number one target and at one point the player was committed to going to United, but Chelsea pushed hard and persuaded him.
“That was a blow but it told us one thing, we knew at that point, United and Ruben Amorim clearly wanted a new centre-forward.”
Benjamin Sesko had other plans too, linked to Arsenal
Benjamin Sesko is actually giving up Champions League football to sign with Manchester United. If this was his focus he could have signed for Newcastle.
At the start of the summer he looked set for Arsenal, with the Gunners originally making Sesko their top target. They eventually settled on the more experienced Viktor Gyokeres, who suits their ‘win now’ aims better than the Slovenian, a more developmental prospect.
Bailey explains how it was Arsenal’s new sporting director Andrea Berta who made the call to back out of the Sesko deal.
He commented: “Arsenal first tried to do a deal in January, they loved him as a player and saw him as the future but that is the key phrase ‘the future.
“Andrea Berta came in to replace Edu and then things changed, he re-assessed everything – including the deals they were progressing with including Zubimendi and Sesko.
“He likes Sesko, he had no disagreement with the club’s stance and view on him but he was just mindful that Sesko might need time and should they look at ready made options such as Viktor Gyokeres.
“That’s when the internal talks started and he persuaded the club that Gyokeres was the better option purely because he is ready to go now – whilst Sesko, whilst having a higher ceiling, was just not as advanced.
“And that’s how it played out and now United have taken their chance. Sesko was obviously set on Arsenal at the time, but United is a huge appeal to him.”
Benjamin Sesko playing for RB Leipzig.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Manchester United interest in Sesko long-standing
The developments leading to Manchester United signing Benjamin Sesko were not exactly as club and player drew up at the start of the transfer window, but that does not mean this is a kneejerk move.
United have interest in Sesko dating way back to 2019, and the deal has been led by recruitment chief Christopher Vivell, who signed the striker for Red Bull Salzburg.
United In Focus reported back in December how Vivell’s strong interest in Sesko could come in to play in summer 2025, and this has proven to be the case.
Signing Delap was United’s original intention, a striker who the club felt was an excellent market opportunity due to price. But Sesko is a player rated incredibly highly by the United hierarchy, who had looked unattainable in early July.
Now it has all come together, with Sesko on course to be a Manchester United player when the season kicks off.