The Athletic reported that Arsenal had been paying attention to Cesco for a long time, but after Berta took office, the Gunners turned to Yorke.
Manchester United officially announced the signing of Cesco today, and just a few weeks ago, some influential insiders still believed that the possibility of signing Cesco this summer was slim. RB Leipzig's asking price is high, and for a player with average Bundesliga goal statistics, this price may be unbearable.
To some extent, it can be said to be a two-way choice. During the negotiations with Arsenal, some people familiar with the matter revealed that Cesco thought it was impossible for him to join a club that was not qualified for European competition, ranked 15th in the Premier League and was 32 points behind Arsenal.
However, Arsenal's years of signings were in vain. As Berta became the sports director, the Gunners gradually turned their attention to Yorkeus. In North London, they were eventually dismissed by the financial terms involved in the deal and the difficulty of negotiating with Cesco representatives, and when Arsenal pulled out, they noticed that they were the only club actively promoting the transfer.
Manchester United has long focused on other targets and initially locked in Drapp. After Chelsea was allowed to activate Drapp's £30 million termination clause, the Red Devils turned to Yorke and Ekitic instead of Sesco.
At that time, even Newcastle was looking for another candidate. Although they admired Cesco, they believed they could not participate in the financial competition. During Leipzig's trip to Brazil at the end of the season, Sesco revealed to his teammates that he would leave this summer. He reached an agreement with the senior management of Leipzig, and if there is a special club quotation of 80 million to 90 million euros, it can be released.
Leipzig's transfer strategy this summer requires raising 100 million euros through player sales, but Cesco is not a must-have item. With Arsenal withdrawal, Bundesliga teams have begun prioritizing other trades and are working to include the striker in the new season plan.
Yet when Isaac made it clear that he wanted to leave Newcastle and refused to join the team in the Asian preseason, Sesco quickly became the centerpiece of this short and fierce tug-of-war, which remains one of the most complex transfer legends of this summer.