Just a few weeks ago, some important Manchester United figures still believed signing Cesco this summer was not very realistic. The asking price for Red Bull Leipzig is very high, and it may be too high for a player with a mediocre goal record in the Bundesliga.

It can be said that this feeling is mutual. In negotiations with Arsenal, some people familiar with the matter said that Cesco thought he would not join a team that was not qualified for the European Cup, ranked 15th in the Premier League and was 32 points behind Arsenal.

However, Arsenal's years of efforts to sign Sesco were finally lost, as their attention gradually turned to Yorke after Andrea Berta was appointed as sporting director. In north London, they were also eventually frightened by the financial obligations of any transaction and the difficulties in negotiating with the Cesco representative. Once Arsenal quits, Manchester United notices that it is the only club actively pursuing the deal.

Manchester United initially focused on Drapp. Manchester United began contacting Yorkress and Ekitic instead of players who made 33 appearances in the Bundesliga last season after Chelsea was allowed to trigger Drapp’s £30m termination clause. Even Newcastle was looking for other goals at that time because they didn’t think they could compete financially for a player they really appreciate.

Cesco told teammates he would leave this summer on the Brazil Tour after the season in Red Bull Leipzig. He has reached an agreement with Red Bull officials that if there is a "special" club that offers 80 million to 90 million euros, he can leave. The goal of the Leipzig Red Bull in the summer transfer window is to raise 100 million euros by selling players, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Sesco has to leave. When Arsenal exited, they prioritized the sale of other players and planned to continue using the striker in the new season.

However, when Isaac made it clear that he wanted to leave St. James Park and asked not to take part in Newcastle United's pre-season Asian tour, Sesco quickly became the focus of a brief and intense battle, which remains one of the most complex transfer stories of this summer.

After losing Drapp, Manchester United's priorities at the end of last season focused more on two No. 10 positions in Amorin's 3-4-2-1 system than on the center. In the end, the team signed Cunya and Mbemo. As Mbemo's long-term negotiations came to an end, CEO Omar Berrada and football director Jason Wilcox took part in an Iceland fishing trip at the request of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. According to people familiar with the matter, the trip played a key role in their strategy for the rest of the transfer window.

During the US preseason, Amorin, Bellada and Wilcox were their preferred target in this position during further meetings at Manchester United Training Base and at Waldorf Assault Chicago. Joel and Afram Glazer also stayed at the same hotel during the second week of the same week and agreed to the plan as usual, although they were not key figures in the decision-making process. The decision to pursue Cesco was made before they arrived.

Cesco has been one of Manchester United's most optimistic new center candidates, and if they miss it, their attention will turn to Watkins and Jackson. Although Villa had long told United that their forwards were non-sales products, some still think he could be obtained at the right price. However, Cesco is their first choice. Recruitment director Christopher Vivier played a big role in pursuing the player, and Vivier strongly supported the transfer, but he didn't need to convince Bellada, Wilcox or Amorin to believe the Slovenian international's ability.

Cesco was Manchester United's main center target early in the summer transfer window after INEOS took over, but the focus later turned to Zilkize. Before Rasmus Hoylund joined in the summer of 2023, Manchester United had also explored the possibility of signing Cesco, but little progress was made. Anyway, United's extensive visit to Cesco has lasted for seven years, meaning they have a lot of data and reports about the 22-year-old as strong support for pursuing him again.

Although Newcastle nearly reached an agreement with Sesco in the summer of 2022, their interest has never diminished. Newcastle has been in touch with Cesco's team and sees him as a potential replacement for Isaac's possible departure. When Isaac refused to join the team on the tour and the possibility of leaving the team increased significantly in the summer, officials at St. James Park began to consider transfers. Arsenal's interest in Cesco has also affected Newcastle. They believe that if Arsenal, who is also a Champions League club, regards Cesco as its main goal, then Newcastle should also participate in the competition. Newcastle has already competed with Chelsea for Drapp and Joao Pedro this summer.

Newcastle's intervention prompted Manchester United to speed up the action, leading to a meeting between Amorin, Berrada and Wilcox in Chicago, and both clubs offered their own terms to the team of Sesco.

Last week, Amorin held a Zoom meeting with Sesco, while football negotiating director Matt Hargreaves met with Sesco's agent Elvis Basanovich to discuss personal terms and commission fees.

Newcastle, as there is no sporting director or CEO in office, recruitment director Steve Nixon is responsible for communicating with Sesco's team, while recruitment assistant director Andy Howe and minority shareholder Jamie Ruben are responsible for negotiating between clubs with Leipzig. The preliminary talks between the two sides were going well, but Cesco's representative said that no final decision had been made and that time would take into account the options.

More meetings were held on Friday, and over the next 24 hours, Newcastle submitted a quote of €75 million plus €5 million surcharge to Leipzig. Cesco's team was surprised by the timing of Newcastle's offer because it didn't fit their expectations for the entire process. This may be the reason Newcastle suspects that Sesco's team is waiting for an official offer from Manchester United. Talks were held after a pre-season friendly match between Leipzig and Atlanta on Saturday night.

Insiders revealed that Newcastle had proposed a quotation of 85 million euros, reaching Leipzig's psychological price, and the two parties could have reached an agreement quickly. However, Manchester United's intervention changed the negotiation landscape.

Manchester United executives have not submitted a formal offer yet, and they are waiting for the Sesco team to make it clear that the players are more inclined to join Manchester United. Manchester United allegedly hopes that Sesco will make it clear that he will only join Manchester United, as Mbemo treats Brentford, so as to negotiate price without competitive pressure. Eventually, this clarity did appear, but before that, Newcastle received a positive signal from the Cesco team that he was willing to join. After Monday's active talks, Newcastle raised its offer to reach at least €80 million. They think they have done their best. However, Manchester United is still full of confidence, believing that if Cesco had preferred Newcastle, the deal would have been completed long ago.

On Tuesday morning, Manchester United finally submitted a offer of €75 million plus €10 million additional terms. Later that day, Newcastle reached a preliminary agreement with Leipzig, with the transfer fee of €82.5 million plus an additional clause of €2.5 million. However, as time goes by, it is clear to all parties that Sesco wants to join Manchester United more. Hargreaves and Vivier finalized the deal in Leipzig in the next few days. The negotiations between the two clubs were very professional and completed in just a few days, which contrasted with the negotiations at Brentford.

On Thursday afternoon, the two sides reached an agreement of €76.5 million plus €8.5 million additional terms, with the initial fee being €6 million lower than Newcastle's offer, but the total amount was still €85 million. Manchester United's internal valuation of Sesco is about £75 million, and some believe they are willing to match Liverpool's £79 million offer to sign Ekitic. However, the actual expenditure of £73.7 million is still a considerable amount.

There is controversy about which club Cesco can earn more. Sources said Sesco's salary is within Manchester United's existing structure. Old Trafford sources claim his salary is not higher than what Newcastle offers. Some people at St James Park claim that their offer is the same as Manchester United or significantly lower than Manchester United. There are also people who believe that Newcastle’s salary structure does not allow them to provide more than £200,000 per week, including bonuses. In any case, it is worth noting that most Manchester United players' contracts will reduce revenue by 25% when the team fails to participate in the Champions League.

financial report shows that Manchester United can borrow another £140 million through existing revolving credit. Ratcliffe is said to have been reluctant to use these methods in the past, believing it is similar to credit card debt, but approved a withdrawal of £100 million last summer. Recent documents submitted to the Company Registration also indicate that revolving credit may have been extended or adjusted, allowing clubs to withdraw more than £140 million available in April. After experiencing the worst rankings in the Premier League history and the embarrassment of failing to qualify for European competitions, people familiar with the matter believe that short-term performance has become more important.

Amorin, Bellada and Wilcox are at stake, and Ratcliffe doesn't want to waste time waiting for success on the court. "Now is the last chance," said a staff member.

Exploring the potential trade of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba can also be understood from this perspective. Midfielders have been the next priority target for signing. The potential spending of more than £200 million has been promised, not only is support for Amorin, Bellada and Wilcox, but also a signal that senior officials in Old Trafford are aware that they must avoid repeating the mistakes they made last season. In Cesco, they finally found their forward, and Manchester United may not have ended the signings yet.

source:free 7m cn