Man United completed transfer hijack of key Arsenal target days after pre-season friendly

Manchester United are hoping to hijack a switch for a former Arsenal goal, however this time, the Gunners will not be caught chilly.

The Purple Devils have opened talks for Benjamin Sesko after sending a delegation to Germany to satisfy with RB Leipzig officers.

Sesko was a key goal for Arsenal, however now United are regarded as favouritesCredit score: Getty

talkSPORT understands the striker favours a transfer to Man United over Newcastle, who’re additionally pushing for his signature.

Arsenal had been closely linked with the 22-year-old this summer season however have since pivoted to signal an alternate goal.

Mikel Arteta’s facet have accomplished a £63.7million deal for Viktor Gyokeres, who sarcastically additionally had curiosity from Man United.

Nonetheless, the 27-year-old turned down the chance to reunite with former supervisor Ruben Amorim at Previous Trafford.

Arsenal would have been forgiven for feeling a way of deja vu when United seemed to hijack their negotiations with Sporting Lisbon.

In 2003, Alex Ferguson greenlit the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for £12m from Sporting, a then document for a young person in England.

Arsenal had been holding tabs on the Portuguese as a teen, and Arsene Wenger was eager on bringing the 18-year-old to London.

Talking to GQ journal in 2010, Ronaldo mentioned, by way of FourFourTwo: “It’s true. I used to be an inch away from signing for Arsenal.

“I noticed Arsene Wenger thrice with my mom. It was very near being a executed deal.

“After I signed for United, she and I have been sitting watching a Premier League sport on tv, and he or she yelled out, ‘I do know that man – I appreciated him.’”

Arsenal survived attempts from the Red Devils to hijack their deal for Gyokeres — Arsenal survived makes an attempt from the Purple Devils to hijack their deal for GyokeresCredit score: Getty

But the same wasn't the case when they first approached Sporting for Ronaldo — However the identical wasn’t the case once they first approached Sporting for RonaldoCredit score: Getty

How shut was Ronaldo to signing for Arsenal?

Ronaldo’s assembly with Wenger, which occurred months earlier than he moved to Man United, had been virtually three years within the making.

Former Arsenal scout Damien Comolli claimed he first noticed the longer term five-time Ballon d’Or winner play as a 15-year-old in 2000.

At the moment, Ronaldo was starring in a youth event in France, and no different Premier League membership was within the race to signal him.

“The primary time I noticed Ronaldo was on the Montaigu event. He was 15 years outdated,” Comolli instructed SFR Sport 1.

“He was taking part in Japan and I instantly thought to myself “what is that this?”. I referred to as my contact in Portugal at half-time and instructed him I might seen a phenomenon. I had by no means seen something prefer it since Thierry Henry.

“He twice visited Arsenal’s coaching centre. No person even is aware of about that. He met Henry, who was his idol. And when the time had come to finish the switch, there was no cash.

Ronaldo had several clubs chasing his signature in 2003 — Ronaldo had a number of golf equipment chasing his signature in 2003Credit score: AFP

“A couple of months later, Manchester United partnered up with Sporting and performed a pleasant towards them.

“Ronaldo destroyed them and Ferguson instantly acted.”

The story of Ronaldo’s pre-season audition towards Man United stays a well-known chapter in what would develop into a storied profession.

In a pleasant on 7 August 2003, the longer term Portugal captain gave John O’Shea a torrid night as United misplaced 3-1 to Sporting.

Rio Ferdinand has since jokingly recalled that his fellow defender required an ‘oxygen tank’ after taking part in towards a youthful Ronaldo.

Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, instructed GQ: “That is what actually occurred. Everybody needed Cristiano – Actual, Juventus, Barcelona. However solely Arsenal and Manchester United tried to take him from Sporting Lisbon that season. The others needed to depart him at Sporting at the least a yr.

“However with United, the whole lot was in place already, since an settlement had been reached the day earlier than the match [a friendly between Manchester United and Sporting].”

Former Man United masseuse Rod Thornley claimed Ronaldo’s efficiency in that pleasant satisfied Ferguson to attempt to dealer a deal within the altering rooms after simply 45 minutes of play.

Ferguson pushed his board to accelerate a transfer after Sporting played Man United — Ferguson pushed his board to speed up a switch after Sporting performed Man UnitedCredit score: Getty

Inside story of Ronaldo’s Man United switch

Talking on the Euro Thrash podcast, Thornley recalled: “We have performed the sport and he was good. He was completely excellent. So, half time’s come the gamers’ dressing room is one facet of a hall and the administration and the medical workers’s on the opposite facet; it is like partitioned off.

“We have sorted the gamers out, they’re on their method out to the second half, and we come to only get ourselves modified to exit for the second half.

“Sir Alex is in there with David Gill, and a consultant from Sporting Lisbon, and whether or not it was the agent, I do not know, and so they’re discussing, ‘we wish to take him now, we wish him tonight’.”

Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein admitted his membership have been nonetheless on the desk for Ronaldo, however have been ‘blown out of the water’ by United.

United swooped to complete the £12.24m signing — United swooped to finish the £12.24m signingCredit score: Getty

Ronaldo proved to be Wenger's biggest transfer regret from his Arsenal tenure — Ronaldo proved to be Wenger’s largest switch remorse from his Arsenal tenureCredit score: Getty

“I used to be requested by our chief scout if I might go together with him to see a younger boy taking part in for Portugal Below-18s, and he was solely 16,” Dein instructed Sky Sports activities.

“You’ll be able to think about who that younger man was. It was Cristiano Ronaldo. The next day Manchester United got here and blew us out the water. This stuff occur.”

5 days after that Sporting pleasant, Ronaldo was a purple and was even handed the No7 shirt vacated by David Beckham.

“Every part modified throughout that match,” ex-Sporting director of soccer Carlos Freitas instructed FourFourTwo. “Inside 24 hours, the deal was full and Cristiano was heading off to England instantly.”

Ronaldo became the most expensive teenager in the history of British football — Ronaldo turned the most costly teenager within the historical past of British soccer

22 years later, he scored on his return to Al-Nassr in a 2-1 friendly win over Toulouse — 22 years later, he scored on his return to Al-Nassr in a 2-1 pleasant win over ToulouseCredit score: Getty

Ronaldo profession stats

Sporting Lisbon (2002-03): 31 video games – 5 targets

Man United (2003-09) and (2021-22): 346 video games – 145 targets

Actual Madrid (2009-18): 438 video games – 450 targets

Juventus (2018-2021): 134 video games – 101 targets

Al Nassr (2023-): 111 video games – 99 targets

Over 20 years later, and the remainder, as they are saying, is historical past – with Ronaldo establishing a legacy as one of many biggest of all time.

Maybe that’s the reason Wenger has since admitted his largest remorse at Arsenal was not signing the 40-year-old when he had the possibility.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2020, the legendary French supervisor was requested who he regretted not signing probably the most.

He defined: “Oof! I might say there’s not one participant, there are 50! Alternatively, possibly the closest [to that] was Cristiano Ronaldo, when he signed for Man United.

“We had an settlement with Sporting, and Man United took Carlos Queiroz as assistant coach, and so they simply outbid us rapidly and took Ronaldo. However we had an settlement principally.

“He had the shirt of Arsenal, I had lunch with him and his mom on the coaching floor!

“It’s one instance, however there have been so many. The historical past of an enormous membership is filled with missed nice gamers!”

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