Benjamin Sesko's agent makes big claim over how he helped cash-strapped Man Utd complete £74m transfer for RB Leipzig striker

Sesko put pen to paper on a five-year contract after completing his £74 million ($100m) switch from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig on August 9. Newcastle United were also keen to sign the Slovenia international, amid uncertainty over Liverpool target Alexander Isak's future, but Sesko ultimately preferred a move to Old Trafford.

However, Sesko's agent - Elvis Basanovic - has since revealed that things could have turned out differently for his client, had he not stepped in to make the deal happen. In an interview with Slovenian outlet POP! TV's 24UR programme, Basanovic claims United were struggling to match Leipzig's valuation of Sesko and so he decided to waive part of his commission in order to facilitate the move.

In the interview, Basanovic said: "At one point the clubs (United and Leipzig) were far apart on the valuation. United had reached the limit of their budget for the transfer. On the other side Leipzig had demands and expectations which were higher based on Benjamin's value. That created a gap that needed to be solved.

"At one point I decided to give up part of my own fee, to bridge the gap, because I felt it was the right thing to do. For me, a player's wishes and dreams should always come before the agent's interests."

Sesko has long been touted as one of world football's best young strikers. The 22-year-old started his career at Red Bull Salzburg and scored 29 goals in 79 appearances for the Austrian giants before joining Leipzig, who are also owned by the Red Bull conglomerate. He scored 39 goals in 87 outings for Leipzig, with 21 of them coming in the 2024-25 season.

United boss Ruben Amorim has confirmed Sesko is "ready" to face Arsenal in a mouth-watering Premier League clash on Sunday. Amorim will also be able to call upon fellow new boys Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, who joined from Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively this summer.