Man Utd's secret weapon in Benjamin Sesko race as transfer saga nears decision

Manchester United hope their director of recruitment Christopher Vivell will be their secret weapon in their bid to sign Red Bull Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.

The Red Devils are going head to head with Newcastle to snap up in the in-demand Slovenian international and have already lodged their first bid of around £73million, matching a similar offer from the Magpies.

United's bid includes a package of £65.2m plus £8.6m in add-ons as they attempt to convince Sesko Old Trafford is the right place to continue developing his career, despite not having any European football to offer.

Newcastle, meanwhile, can give Sesko the chance to play Champions League football this season - hoping he can replace Alexander Isak amid talks with Liverpool over a £150m deal.

But United are hoping they have another ace up their sleeve in Vivell, who signed the forward for Leipzig in the first place.

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And before Leipzig, when Vivell was at Red Bull Salzburg, he reportedly discovered Sesko when he was a 16-year-old and signed him from Slovenian club Domzale. According to Bild, this could make Vivell United's secret weapon in negotiations.

As someone he trusts, Sesko might prefer to join United having worked with Vivell in the past, even though he would likely be the main man at Newcastle.

United have shown that they still have that 'big club pull' despite being out of Europe after signing Wolves star Matheus Cunha £62.5m and securing Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo for £71m.

Sesko now has a huge decision to make between United and Newcastle as he prepares to leave Leipzig after two seasons. He scored 21 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions last season.

The 22-year-old was left out of Leipzig's friendly clash against Atalanta this weekend amid ongoing speculation.

He is United's number one striker target, but the club still have some alternatives if he does end up chosing Newcastle.

United initially targeted Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins before being put off the club's £60m price tag for a player five years older. They have also been monitoring Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson but it is believed the Blues want at least £80m for the Senegalese star.

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