Newcastle United transfer news: Benjamin Sesko has been linked with a move to Manchester United as well as St James’ Park this summer.

Newcastle United know it will take a club-record fee to sign Benjamin Sesko this summer. The RB Leipzig striker is regarded as one of their top targets and would be the man they pick to replace Alexander Isak if the Swedish international leaves the club.

Isak’s future remains up in the air amid speculation linking him with a move to Liverpool. The Reds have yet to submit an actual bid for the striker, though, whilst Newcastle United’s stance remains that he is not for sale.

Whilst selling Isak would be a bitter blow for the Magpies, signing Sesko as his replacement would soften that prospect a little. The Slovenian international scored 21 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig last season and has been someone that the Magpies have scouted for a number of years.

Having been linked with a move for Sesko as far back as 2023, Newcastle have stepped up their interest in the 22-year-old this summer and are monitoring his situation closely. However, Manchester United have also emerged as contenders for his signature and it is understood that Sesko would prefer a move to Old Trafford over St James’ Park this summer.

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Whilst Ruben Amorim’s side cannot offer Sesko Champions League football next season, they do have a wage structure that allows them to pay him more than Newcastle United would be able to do. However, the Red Devils are yet to submit a bid for Sesko and it is believed that they will need to offload players to afford his transfer fee.

Benjamin Sesko transfer news

That fee, according to David Ornstein, would certainly exceed Newcastle United’s current transfer record which currently stands at £63m. Ornstein reports that Leipzig will demand at least €75m (£64m) guaranteed with significant add-ons.

He posted on X: ‘RB Leipzig asking price for Benjamin Sesko ~€75m guaranteed + add-ons & percentage of future sale. Fee expectation communicated to suitors for 22yo striker. #NUFC / #MUFC pursuing but no agreements yet with #RBLeipzig or Slovenia forward @TheAthleticFC’.

According to Bild last week, a price of around €70m (£60m) was viewed as enough to tempt Leipzig into selling Sesko this summer. That was supported by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano who claimed that a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the club and player could see him leave for €70m - €80m this summer for a select few ‘special’ clubs.

He posted on X: ‘There’s gentlemen agreement between Benjamin Šeško and RB Leipzig. The price tag for limited clubs could be reduced to range of €70-80m plus €5-10m add-ons. This is only valid for few clubs considered “special” by Šeško.’

Having already seen both Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha move to Old Trafford this summer, seeing Sesko also pick Manchester United over Newcastle United would be the final blow in what has been a particularly frustrating summer on Tyneside. Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike and James Trafford have all moved to their league rivals this summer, whilst interest in Dean Huijsen ended with the Spaniard moving to Real Madrid.