Newcastle United’s pursuit of Benjamin Sesko could end in a disappointment after the Slovenian striker reportedly want Manchester United move.
The Magpies had worked for days to secure the 22-year-old, submitting their first offer on Saturday [August 2] and improving the terms on Monday [August 4], believing they had moved ahead of their Premier League rivals.
Their bid reportedly worth around €90m [$104m], a figure that would have shattered the club’s transfer record set by the £63m [$84m] signing of Alexander Isak in 2022.
Manchester United reportedly made a concrete €85m [$98m] proposal on Tuesday, which was slightly less than the sum Newcastle were prepared to pay.
According to Fabrizio Romano, The 22-year-old favours the Man United move.
Romano reported that the club had already forwarded a contract proposal and that Sesko’s preference was clear.
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Sesko turns down record bid as Newcastle face tough decisions
On Wednesday [August 6] morning, David Ornstein of The Athletic confirmed that RB Leipzig had accepted Newcastle’s offer, yet Sesko informed the German side he wanted to join Manchester United.
There are no club-to-club agreement yet but talks advancing towards conclusion that could leave the Magpies with little realistic hope of a late reversal.
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Newcastle had been seen as the frontrunners just days earlier and Slovenian outlet Delo even reported that the player had initially given his approval to a move to St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe now enters the final stretch of the window with several holes to fill and limited time to strengthen his squad before their Premier League campaign begins on August 16.
Missing out on Sesko is the latest setback in a summer where Newcastle have failed to secure a series of top targets, a problem that has raised concerns about depth and attacking options.
Unless negotiations between Manchester United and Leipzig collapse unexpectedly, Sesko will soon swap the Bundesliga for Old Trafford and Newcastle will have to identify alternatives quickly if they want to stay competitive in the league.
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