Benjamin Sesko to Man Utd transfer still alive as £70m Newcastle offer rejected

Manchester United may still be able to get their hands on Benjamin Sesko this summer as RB Leipzig have reportedly rejected a £70million offer from Newcastle. The Red Devils and the Magpies are both pursuing the striker, who has bagged 27 Bundesliga goals during his two seasons in Germany.

Sesko moved to Leipzig from RB Salzburg in the summer of 2023 and has since carved out a reputation as one of the most talented young strikers in Europe. He has plenty of admirers in the Premier League and previously attracted interest from Arsenal before the Gunners opted to sign Viktor Gyokeres. And Sesko is now said to be impressed by Manchester United after being made aware of Ruben Amorim's long-term plans.

Newcastle appeared to have jumped above United as the frontrunners to land Sesko, with the Magpies potentially preparing to lose Alexander Isak to Liverpool this summer.

According to The Athletic, Leipzig have asked interested clubs to stump up an initial £65.5m plus add-ons as well as a sell-on clause in order to sanction Sesko's exit.

But Newcastle have only tabled a bid of £65.5m plus just over £4m in add-ons. And the German club see the offer as insufficient.

The report also claims that Manchester United are continuing their pursuit of the Slovenia international but are yet to make a bid for the ace.

Sesko was left out of the Leipzig squad on Saturday as his team were defeated 2-1 by Serie A club Atalanta in a pre-season friendly.

And following that match, RB Leipzig managing director for sport Marcel Schafer addressed Sesko's absence when asked to comment on it.

"We won't go into detail on that but when I say that several clubs have shown strong interest and have made approaches, it's obvious what has happened," he explained.

Earlier in the day on Saturday, reports in Slovenia suggested Sesko had been convinced to join Newcastle instead of Manchester United this summer.

But Magpies boss Eddie Howe was unable to shed any light on the transfer developments when asked about Sesko in the Far East, where Newcastle are currently enjoying a pre-season tour.

"I am sorry to sound like a broken record, I am aware of what is happening but I am not dealing with it," Howe said. "We are looking at the best players we can get. We are only looking at the best we can get, I see all situations open and available to us. I feel that is the only way we are going to get where we want to go, which is to maximise quality over quantity."