Benjamin Sesko has been one of the most highly-coveted strikers in the world for the past year. The Slovenian striker has established himself as one of the world's best young strikers in recent years and Arsenal and Newcastle United had both been very interested in acquiring his services.
Arsenal were very keen on signing him last summer but Sesko opted to stay put and sign a new contract at RB Leipzig. This summer, it looked as if he would make the move to Newcastle after they made a £75m bid. However, in the end, it was Manchester United who won the race for his signature as he signed a five-year deal.
Why Sesko Chose Man United Over Newcastle and Arsenal
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Sesko's agent, Elvis Basanovic, has now given a fascinating interview where he detailed the 22-year-old's decision to join United over Newcastle and Arsenal. Basanovic revealed that it has always been his 'dream' to join Man United when asked about why his move to Arsenal fell through.
He told the 24UR programme on Slovenian station POP! TV, per the Mirror: "It's hard to say exactly. Whenever a deal doesn't go through, there are always several factors. In the end, everything has to align for it to happen.
"What's important here is that Benjamin's wish, for years now, has always been United. And for United, he was even willing to take a pay cut to make the move happen. As his agent, I wanted to make that wish come true."
Basanovic went on to say that it has been his plan for many years to join the Red Devils. He added: 'We visited their academy when he was just 15. Even then, we were planning this move for the future. At the time, we didn't want him to go [when he was] so young.
"In recent years, we stayed in contact but we told them our plan - two years in the Bundesliga, to prepare for the future in the Premier League. We're delighted the plan worked."
Basanovic also revealed exactly how hard United worked to secure his client's signature. He added: "We were in contact with Man United's negotiations director, Matt Hargreaves, who was a ruthless negotiator.
"In the last 10-15 days, they followed my every step, and the talks took place in three different countries and six different cities."
Coincidentally, Sesko is in line to make his Man United debut against one of the teams he rejected to secure his dream move: Arsenal. The two sides will go head-to-head at Old Trafford on Sunday August 17 as they kickstart their Premier League campaigns.