Christopher Vivell paid a visit to his former club last Friday. (Photo via Fabrizio Romano)
Four weeks after being made permanent as Manchester United’s Director of Recruitment, Christopher Vivell is doing some key scouting in the build-up to the summer window.
Indeed, the Red Devils chief flew to Germany over the weekend to keep a close eye on forward Benjamin Sesko in action, watching on from the stands as RB Leipzig overturned Wolfsburg 3-2 thanks to a brace from another rumoured United target in the form of Xavi Simons.
Sekso played the full 90 of the clash but was ultimately unable to add to his tally for the campaign, which stands at an impressive 19 goals and six assists in 40 appearances across all competitions. He finished 2023/2024 with 20 goal contributions to his name (18 goals and two assists), meaning he’s now on course to smash that record in the final fixtures of the term.
It’s not the first time United have been linked with the 21-year-old, either. He has long been a name on their shortlist, with interest even dating as far back as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign.
Last year looked like the most suitable time for Sesko to leave Leipzig after receiving proposals from United, Arsenal and Chelsea. However, he surprisingly decided to commit his future to the Bundesliga outfit by signing a five-year deal.
How United can capitalise on Sesko pact
In order to make the extension suit all parties, a gentleman’s agreement was included to allow for a relatively straightforward sale if the Slovenian – dubbed as having ‘shades of Erling Haaland’ in his game by the official Bundesliga site – looks to leave this year or next amid reports of him favouring a Premier League switch.
Such an arrangement means that despite Leipzig valuing their young talisman in the region of £80 million+, it may cost any interested clubs only £60m to prise him from the Red Bull Arena in the coming months.
