Man United confident €75m target Benjamin Sesko favours Old Trafford move ahead of Newcastle switch

The National

a day ago

Manchester United have bid €75 million plus add-ons for their long-term target Benjamin Sesko, the 22-year-old Slovenian who plays for RB Leipzig in Germany's Bundesliga.
United understand that the player wants to move to Old Trafford and hope that it goes through in the same manner as Bryan Mbeumo's recent protracted transfer.
His club, Brentford, wanted others to bid for him and create an auction situation, but United knew all along that the forward desired a move to Old Trafford – even after he had spoken to other clubs.
This has not always been the case. United pursued Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong for much of the 2022 summer transfer window.
While his club were prepared to sell and the fees were not an issue, De Jong was happy at Barcelona and had little desire to leave – and he remained at Camp Nou. United signed Casemiro from Real Madrid late on in the transfer window instead.
The Red Devils face competition for Sesko from Newcastle United who are understood to have been trying to do a deal with his club to force both the player's hand and Manchester United's.
The Old Trafford club feel their valuation is right. Newcastle have money to spend, Champions League football to offer but there is an air of desperation given their lead striker Alexander Isak may depart for Liverpool.
The Magpies have also missed out on a succession of other targets in this transfer window – including Mbeumo and fellow summer arrival at Old Trafford, Matheus Cunha.
It may be that Newcastle, who won a first trophy since 1969 in March, bid so much that Manchester United won't be willing to compete on price – or that Leipzig ask for so much that they price him out of a move this summer. Sesko has a contract at the German club until 2029.
That Manchester United can afford to bid for the player after two big outlays already this summer is down to their cash and PSR [profit and sustainability rules] position being improved by Marcus Rashford going on loan to Barcelona, with his full wages paid.
There were also sell-on fees for Anthony Elanga, Alvaro Carreras and Maxi Oyedele. The transfers of Cunha and Mbeumo will also be paid over multiple instalments with payments spread. United have also experienced a reduction in the wage bill since January with loan exits and wider club costs cut.
United have tried to sign Sesko three times before. He was the number one target as recently as last year, a player considered a top-quality long-term option.
Even then, United reckoned that he would cost €75m, but there were difficulties dealing with his agent who did not want Sesko to move to England when he was too young.
They believed that if he continued to play well in Germany then United would return with a far more lucrative payday down the line. With two English teams now bidding for the player, they may have got that right.