I rejected Man United transfer after agent talks for one reason - now I could sign for Arsenal
Benjamin Sesko is one of the most-wanted strikers in European football after his performances with RB Leipzig. But if things had gone differently, he could have been firing them in for Manchester United.
The 21-year-old has scored 14 goals in 26 appearances for Leipzig this season to continue his fine form in front of goal. He netted 32 goals in 68 games for RB Salzburg after scoring 22 times in 44 games for Austrian side FC Liefering.
Sesko has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time now. In the January transfer window, Arsenal have been strongly tipped to secure his services following injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
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The Slovenian forward had been on the Gunners' radar in the summer but he opted to stay in Germany for another year, signing a new contract until 2029.
However, the Manchester Evening News reported in July 2022 that then-United football director John Murtough had met with Sesko's agent, Elvis Basanovic, to gauge the possibility of a transfer.
Sesko ended up moving from RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig a year later, however, and justified the decision to overlook United's interest by stating that the Bundesliga side's style of play was more suited to him.
“It was very important for me to go to a place that plays a similar style of football. I already knew what I had to do and didn’t have to go through a whole learning process again,” he explained.
Now, Sesko remains on Arsenal's radar. A gentleman's agreement to let him leave for £60m in the summer is said to be in place meaning a move in January does remain unlikely. His agent Basanovic could not understand the recent rumours linking him with an Arsenal loan move this January, either.
He told GiveMeSport: “I don’t know where this story has come from but I have never talked with Arsenal about a loan move for Sesko.”
He then quashed any speculation, adding: “Sesko is not a player for loans and this was never a topic with Arsenal or any other club. If you ask me if Sesko will move in January, I can only say Sesko is a RB Leipzig player and fully focused on that.”