15 goals this season - Manchester United still interested in elite striker who could have signed for €2million
Man Utd will prioritise the addition of a striker in the summer transfer window as they look to improve their squad.
Manchester United are still interested in a possible move for Benjamin Sesko ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old has been on United's radar for seven years and could leave RB Leipzig this summer after another fine campaign that has seen him net 15 goals in 31 appearances for the club. He has 33 goals in 73 appearances for the Bundesliga club, having registered 29 goals in 29 appearances during his time with RB Salzburg.
Ruben Amorim has prioritised the addition of a striker to his first-team squad, though a move for Sesko appears unlikely given their limited finances and the increased prospect of no Champions League football next season. Sesko is not short of transfer interest and has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal amid their long-term search for a reliable centre-forward.
Here is everything you need to know about Sesko and how realistic it is United sign him this summer:
United could have signed Benjamin Sesko for €2 million
United were first made aware of Sesko when he was playing for the U17s at Slovenian side NK Domzale and he was also impressing for the Slovenian U15 side. The club were made aware that Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg had placed a €2 million for the teenage talent, but United would only authorise an initial offer of €1 million. United eventually raised their bid to €1.1 million, before it was taken to former director of football negotiations Matt Judge, who sanctioned a further €1.2 million offer.
It was never going to be enough to convince them to sell though and NK Domzale ended up selling Sesko to RB Salzburg for almost double the money United had offered. It proved to be a masterstroke as the Austrian club sold the striker to their sister side RB Leipzig for a reported €24 million and made a substantial profit on the low fee they initially paid.
In an interview with The Athletic, former United assistant head of academy recruitment Lyndon Tomlinson revealed details of the failed pursuit for Sesko when they signed Dutch winger Dillon Hoogewerf instead.
“It was the same time we signed Dillon Hoogewerf," he said. "We were saying, ‘Dillon will cost us €130,000 from Ajax, Sesko will cost us €2million. But we think if we spread the risk over the two players at least one of them should make it’. And they were different profiles. Sesko was athletic, tall, strong, whereas Dillon was smaller and more explosive. So we felt we had the bases covered if we got both. Then you end up getting the one that doesn’t quite do it. You always think, ‘What if?’.”
Benjamin Sesko summer move seems unlikely
Speaking on the Talk of the Devils podcast this week, United journalist Andy Mitten reiterated the long-term interest in the striker but hinted at possible financial issues surrounding a deal. "He has been Manchester United's top target in the past, the number one," Mitten said. "So I mentioned a shortlist - this is someone who is seen as a high quality, long-term option for Manchester United.
"United have looked at what his probable fee would be. Is the player attainable? I don't have any current information, because that's the stuff which is most closely guarded as to whether Manchester United want Benjamin Sesko. But he's certainly been, in the past, right at the very top of the tree."
A report last month claimed RB Leipzig value Sesko at £67 million and they are not under any pressure to sell the striker amid interest from Arsenal. If that is the case, it seems highly unlikely United would be able to finance a move this summer.