Who is Benjamin Sesko? The £55m-rated Salzburg striker Man Utd have ‘joined race’ for

Manchester United have made three signings under new boss Erik ten Hag so far this summer with the arrivals of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.

Ten Hag has been tasked with rebuilding the Red Devils’ squad following the departure of five first team players upon the expiry of their contracts on 30 June.

One position that will require reinforcements ahead of the new campaign is up front. United currently have Cristiano Ronaldo and Anthony Martial as their strikers, but will likely need another player given their busy schedule next season.

Ronaldo’s future at Old Trafford is still unknown with reports the Red Devils no.7 wants to depart the club this summer. If this is the case then United will be left short up top and would need to sign a striker at the earliest convenience.

Despite the speculation surrounding Ronaldo, Ten Hag had indicated he is in his plans for the new campaign, but is also looking at another striker, Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko.

According to the Daily Mail, United have ‘joined the race’ for the Slovenian international, who is also ‘admired’ by Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

Who is Benjamin Sesko?

Born in Radece on 31 May 2003, Sesko is a Slovenian international with 13 caps to his name.

The 19-year-old broke into Salzburg’s first team in 2021 having spent the last two seasons on loan with their reserve team Liefering, where he scored 22 goals and registered six assists in 44 appearances.

Current form

The 2022/23 Austrian domestic campaign began on 15 July with Sesko already netting twice in two games and providing one assist for Salzburg.

He featured regularly for the club last season as well, scoring 11 goals and registering seven assists in 37 games in all competitions.

How likely is the deal to go ahead?

The Daily Mail claim that Salzburg want to keep the Slovenian for another season, unless they receive a bid that is close to their £55m valuation for him.

A move for the 19-year-old would be seen as a sensible one considering his goal return last campaign, but would likely lead to criticism if they spend £55m on a back-up striker.