United’s plans for the summer transfer window have included a clear focus on bringing in a new centre forward.
Rasmus Hojlund managed just 10 goals in all competitions last season, and Joshua Zirkzee, who scored even fewer, hasn’t filled the role of a reliable goalscorer either.
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The club has already moved to address those issues by bringing in Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. The pair combined for 37 Premier League goals last season – only seven fewer than United’s entire squad managed across all competitions.
Now, there is an increasing effort to bring in another striker. Among the names linked are Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
The club has been following Sesko for some time and appears ready to make him their top priority this summer.
Sesko impressed during his debut campaign with Leipzig, netting 18 times across all competitions. He followed that up with three more goals at Euro 2024 as Slovenia reached the knockout stages for the first time ever.
He ended up signing a new contract with Leipzig after drawing attention from several European clubs. That deal came with an £85 million release clause, which hasn’t put off potential suitors like Arsenal or Chelsea who remain interested.
But with two new forwards already in the door and the club still needing to offload players, how can they justify going after another big name?
Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, and Tyrell Malacia are all still on the wage bill, and many supporters expected sales would need to happen before any more arrivals.
According to Graeme Bailey, internal discussions led by Christopher Vivell took place before United even made contact with Sesko. Those talks eventually led to him becoming their primary striker target.
Ollie Watkins and Sesko were both at the top of United’s list as Ruben Amorim pushed for a new number nine to lead the line ahead of Cunha and Mbeumo.
We had previously reported that Jason Wilcox and Amorim valued Watkins’ experience highly. But it was Vivell who provided a detailed analysis explaining why he felt Sesko was a better fit for what United needed.
Bailey said: “We are told that the talks between United and Sesko have gone well, very well – they obviously have an ace in the pack with the presence of Vivell as part of their team.
There is also the belief from United’s point of view that the way Ruben Amorim plays is relatively perfect for Sesko and it is believed the Slovenian’s entourage believed that was the case.”
If those departures go through as expected – along with Hojlund – there should be enough space financially to bring in another high-profile player without stretching things too far.
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