Benjamin Sesko to finally seal £74m Premier League transfer as RB Leipzig agree fee after Man United and Newcastle pursuit

Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle to sign Benjamin Sesko, talkSPORT understands.

The RB Leipzig striker is set to join Man United in a deal worth £66.3million plus another £7.4million in add-ons.

Sesko has now been given permission to travel to Manchester and sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford.

Newcastle were confident of reaching an agreement of their own for the Slovenian after submitting a £70m plus add-ons bid.

However, Eddie Howe has missed out on another transfer target after Sesko made it clear he wanted to join United.

The Red Devils’ director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, is believed to have played a big part in getting a deal done.

United refused to get sucked into a bidding war with Newcastle and have managed to secure the signing with their first bid.

They maintained a strong relationship with Leipzig throughout negotiations for Sesko, with a £74m package now agreed.

Around £66m will be paid up front, with £5m off the add-ons involved in the deal expected to be easily achieved.

It means Leipzig are hoping to receive just over £70m from the move, which almost matches Newcastle’s fixed fee in their bid.

Sesko becomes Man United’s third big-money signing of the summer, following Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha to Old Trafford.

Their summer spending has now reached over £200m.

Sesko’s stats

The 22-year-old frontman moves to Man United as one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football.

He joined Leipzig from RB Salzburg in 2022 and has spent the last three years with the Bundesliga side.

In total, he scored 39 goals in 87 appearances in all competitions for the club, including 27 in the German top-flight.

Unfortunately, his 13 goals in the league last season couldn’t help Leipzig secure a place in European football.

Sesko netted four goals in eight appearances in the Champions League last term, but now won’t be playing in Europe.

If he had joined Newcastle, he would have been playing in UEFA‘s top tier, but he’s opted to sign for Man United instead.

What does this mean for Rasmus Hojlund?

With Sesko coming in, Ruben Amorim now has a lot of attacking options in his squad for the season.

He’s signed Mbeumo and Cunha, who can play in behind the striker, along with Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount.

As well as that, he has Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee to lead the line, meaning one may have to depart.

And it seems Hojlund could be the player to leave, with Man United willing to let him go for £40million.

That’s just over half of what they paid for the Dane in 2023, as he arrived from Atalanta for £72million.

Hojlund doesn’t want to leave Old Trafford though, leaving Amorim having to juggle three No.9s as things stand.

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