Benjamin Sesko is set to join Manchester United from RB Leipzig. According to a report by The Athletic and Transfermarkt, the Bundesliga club can expect to receive up to €85 million ($99 million) for the Slovenian forward.
The transfer will finally pave the way for Sesko to move to the Premier League. Indeed, a move to Arsenal earlier in the summer transfer window was in the final stages. That deal, however, fell through when Arsenal focused on Swedish forward Victor Gyökeres instead.
Once Arsenal had signed Gyökeres, Sesko appeared to be ready to play out the season with Leipzig. But then Newcastle United missed out on Hugo Ekitiké—the Frankfurt striker joined Liverpool instead—and identified Sesko as an alternative.
The Magpies came in with a significant offer, but once again would fall short of signing their preferred target. While Newcastle came to an agreement with Leipzig, Man United matched their terms, and Sesko preferred moving to Old Trafford over St. James’ Park.
It remains to be seen what the ramifications are now that Newcastle is set to lose out on another target. For weeks, their star striker, Alexander Isak, has been linked with a move to Liverpool, with Sesko now moving to Man Utd, the Swedish striker might now have to stay put.
Man Utd, in the meantime, has added yet another young forward. In fact, it is just the latest ‘project’ added to the club’s roster. Over the last two seasons, United added Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta. Neither has fully shown his potential yet.
On top of that, United has also signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazilian is more of a second striker rather than a full-on no.9. Still, that’s now four options to play up top.
Indeed, Cunha might be the best option to play with Sesko up top. At Leipzig, the 22-year-old Slovenian often operated in a two-player attack with Loïs Openda. That setup came with its pros and cons. At times, the two were unplayable but there were also many moments for Leipzig last year when they appeared to take each other’s space.
With the attack stuttering at times, Leipzig would miss out on European qualification for the first time since being promoted to the Bundesliga ahead of the 2016/17 season. As a result, the Red Bulls have been forced to sell key assets like Sesko in the first place.
In fact, when the dust settles on the Sesko deal, the Slovenian will become the second most expensive player sale in club history, just behind Josko Gvardiol. The Croatian joined Man City in a deal worth €90 million ($104.75 million) in 2024.
The fee will go a long way to compensate for Leipzig missing out on Champions League football this season. Indeed, the Bundesliga club has already begun restructuring the side, signing six new players for a combined transfer fee of €92 million ($107 million).
More players are set to arrive now that Sesko is on the verge of being sold. The most likely candidate is Göztepe’s Romulô, who has been heavily linked with a transfer to Leipzig for several months.
As for Sesko, what sort of player are Man United getting? Although he has often been compared to Erling Haaland, Sesko himself detests the comparison to the Norwegian striker.
Speaking to Gegenpressing, Sesko, in fact, preferred being compared to Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Of course, he was my idol when I grew up,” Sesko said in the Gegenpressing interview. “I am not saying that I play like him, but I loved watching him. He was so much fun on the pitch and was doing what he wanted to, and that made me really happy when I was watching him.”
Now the Slovenian Ibrahimovic is on his way to Old Trafford. Although not a finished project quite yet, there is no doubt that if Sesko puts all his qualities together, his ceiling is limitless, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he ends up being just as good as Ibrahimovic in a few years.