Benjamin Sesko ‘only wants Man Utd’ as Romano confirms fresh Newcastle transfer blow
According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are confident of beating Newcastle United to the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
United made an official offer for Sesko on Tuesday afternoon, responding to Newcastle’s improved bid, which had gone from around €85million to €90million.
News of United’s bid for the Slovenian international was first reported by David Ornstein, who said: ‘Manchester United have submitted a bid of €75million plus €10m in add-ons for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
‘The offer reflects Manchester United’s valuation of the player, and the club’s belief is he wants to move to Old Trafford. Leipzig are yet to respond to the Premier League club’s proposal.’
MORE: Transfer rumour ranking: Man Utd make Sesko bid as Newcastle braced for another disaster
It had been widely reported that United would only submit a bid if Sesko had made it clear that Old Trafford was his preferred destination.
Their offer is the strongest indication yet that Sesko wants to join Ruben Amorim’s side this summer — another crushing transfer blow for Newcastle.
The Magpies have endured a miserable window so far, missing out on several top targets, including Joao Pedro and James Trafford, and now facing the prospect of losing star striker Alexander Isak, who has reportedly told the club he wants to join Liverpool.
Despite their reluctance to sell Isak, Newcastle quickly turned to Sesko as a potential replacement for the Swede.
The Leipzig striker’s signing would open the door for Isak to move to Anfield, with Newcastle unwilling to sell without a replacement lined up, unless Liverpool come in with an irresistible offer.
At first, their pursuit of Sesko looked promising. But United’s intervention has complicated matters, and they now appear to have convinced the 22-year-old to pick Old Trafford over St James’ Park.
Fabrizio Romano provided a key update on Tuesday night, revealing that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his transfer team are growing increasingly confident.
Amid ongoing negotiations with Leipzig, United have “forwarded an official contract proposal to Sesko” and “believe he only wants to join Manchester United,” according to Romano.
He wrote on X: “Understand Manchester United’s feeling from earlier today is even stronger tonight… the club believes Benjamin Sesko only wants to join Manchester United.
“Man United forwarded official contract proposal to Sesko while also keep negotiating with RB Leipzig.”
Sesko scored 13 goals in 33 Bundesliga games last season, drawing inevitable comparisons to big-money flop Rasmus Hojlund — thanks to a similar age profile, goal record, and lack of Premier League experience.
United signed Hojlund from Atalanta for a total fee of €80million in the summer of 2023 after he scored nine goals in 32 Serie A appearances in the previous campaign.
It’s certainly an interesting approach from the club’s hierarchy, who appear to favour 22-year-old Sesko over Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, who is open to the move, has 75 goals in 184 Premier League games, and is reliably available, missing just six top-flight matches across five seasons.
The problem? He’s 29, and offers little to no resale value — apparently a bigger concern than guaranteed goals for the next three years.
Just Manchester United things, innit?
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