Man United are attempting to try and bring Benjamin Sesko to the club this summer – and he has already received the seal of approval from Alan Shearer.
Alan Shearer believes Benjamin Sesko is a striker with great potential.(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images.)
With a month to go until the summer transfer window closes, Benjamin Sesko occupies top spot on Manchester United’s striker wish list.
After missing out on Liam Delap and being linked with countless other strikers throughout the summer, there is a growing expectation Sesko might provide the answer United and head coach Ruben Amorim have been looking for.
The Reds, as reported by the Manchester Evening News on Wednesday, are advancing with a possible deal to sign the RB Leipzig striker after being informed Aston Villa have no intentions of selling Ollie Watkins. It was communicated earlier this week that Watkins and Sesko were United’s top striker targets.
A cluster of big-name strikers have been on the move this summer, several of which had been linked with moves to Old Trafford, such as Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Ekitike, Victor Osimhen and Delap. Sesko is one of the last big-name strikers available.
Although he is only 22 and still has plenty to prove, he boasts a respectable record for a striker of his age, scoring 90 career goals at club level in senior football. He joined RB Leipzig in the 2023 summer transfer window and has scored 39 goals in 87 games for the German outfit.
Described as a striker with “enormous potential” by United recruitment director Christopher Vivell, who previously worked at Leipzig, Sesko has been attracting attention for several years. United first expressed interest in him in the summer of 2022.
Despite only turning 22 at the end of May, Sesko has already established himself as Slovenia’s chief striker. He has 16 goals in 41 caps for his country and started each of their four matches at the 2024 European Championship.
Although he was unable to get himself on the scoresheet in Germany, former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer was encouraged by his performances at the tournament, backing him to end up in the Premier League sooner rather than later.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer, in July last year, said: “He was feeding off scraps a lot of the time but I think he will be a really really good striker, I’ve no doubt about that.
Benjamin Sesko could soon be on his way to Manchester United.(Image: Maja Hitij/Getty Images.)
“A lot of the big boys were after Sesko, weren’t they? He’s signed a new deal with Leipzig, but I don’t think it will be long before we see him in the Premier League.”
Also attracting interest from Newcastle United, Sesko has cemented himself at the top of United’s wish list amid their desperate need for a reliable goalscorer.
United have finished each of the last two Premier League campaigns with a negative goal difference and know they can ill-afford to end the window without the addition of a new chief marksman. Rasmus Hojlund regressed last season and Joshua Zirkzee is not a striker.
Although Sesko is yet to step foot in the Premier League, his record and his potential has regularly seen him linked with clubs in England. If United secure his signature, only time will confirm if he can cut the mustard.
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