Man Utd ‘regret’ NOT signing €52m ‘phenomenal’ striker after Benjamin Sesko struggles – report

Manchester United were offered the chance to sign a top Serie A striker in the summer transfer window, according to an Italian report, which has claimed that the Red Devils are now regretting bringing in Benjamin Sesko ahead of him, but TEAMtalk has analysed why it may not have been a smart move.

Sesko was among five major signings that Man Utd made in the summer, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon also linking up with Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim’s side at Old Trafford.

Man Utd had settled on Sesko after failing to sign Viktor Gyokeres and Liam Delap, who joined Arsenal and Chelsea, respectively, in the summer transfer window.

Sesko was Man Utd’s most expensive summer signing, with the Premier League giants paying RB Leipzig a total of £73.7million (€85m, $99.7m), including add-ons.

The 22-year-old is expected to be a key figure in Man Utd’s quest to finish in the Premier League top four this season, but the striker’s start to his career at Old Trafford has been less than impressive.

Sesko has made three substitute appearances in the Premier League and one start in the Carabao Cup.

With no goals or assists and struggling to get chances to score, the youngster has often looked lost during matches.

According to TuttoJuve, there is ‘regret’ at Man Utd over snubbing the chance to sign Moise Kean from Fiorentina before the Old Trafford officials settled on a deal for Sesko.

The Juventus-centric news outlet has reported that Kean was ‘offered to Manchester United for €52 million (£45m, $61m)’, but the Red Devils decided not to act upon it.

The release clause of €52 million (£45m, $61m) was valid in the former Juventus striker’s contract at Fiorentina from July 1 until July 15.

The report has noted that it would have been ‘a real bargain on paper’ for a 25-year-old Italy international striker who was described as “a phenomenal striker” by former Fiorentina marksman Christian Vieri in the Italian Football Podcast in June 2025.

However, Man Utd decided not to pursue a deal for Kean, who scored 25 goals and gave three assists in 44 matches in all competitions for Fiorentina last season.

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Man Utd’s Moise Kean snub justified by Everton struggles

While Kean has revived his career at Fiorentina, it must be noted that he struggled during his time at Everton.

The Italy international scored just four goals and gave two assists in 39 appearances for the Toffees.

Kean has a mixed spell at Juventus, scoring 22 goals and registering four assists in 123 appearances.

While it must be acknowledged that Kean did not always start regularly for Juventus, the fact that one of Italy’s biggest clubs decided to offload him in 2024 for the second time tells a story of its own.

Spending €52m (£45m, $61m) on a striker who failed in his first spell in the Premier League would have been a huge risk, one that Man Utd simply cannot take right now.

Sesko is only 22 years of age and has huge potential. Arsenal’s interest in Sesko before he moved to Man Utd in the summer transfer window underlines how highly the former RB Leipzig striker is rated in the footballing community.

While Sesko has not made an ideal start to life at Man Utd, there is every chance that he could succeed at Old Trafford, especially if Amorim listens to former Slovenia international striker Miran Burgic.

Burgic told Zurnal24: “Regarding Sesko’s game at Manchester United, I would add that it is similar there at the moment [to the Slovenia team].

“United is struggling in the game, they are not putting their opponents under pressure, they are not creating many situations for the attackers.

“It is difficult to come into such an environment, where there has been a negative trend for several years.

“Many good players, not just attackers, have burned out at United in recent years. Sometimes such an atmosphere absorbs you, changes you.

“It is difficult for a single footballer to turn the ship in a different direction.

“Sesko found himself in the middle of a demanding environment.

“How he will deal with how susceptible he will be to criticism and external opinions depends on him. He is definitely a top footballer. The price they paid for him says it all.”

Latest Man Utd news: Winger ‘dreaming’ of move, £160m deal

Trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Man Utd will offload an expensive flop in the coming hours, as manager Amorim has had enough of his mistakes.

An international winger is ‘dreaming’ of joining Man Utd, even though Arsenal are among the clubs keen on securing his services.

Sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Fletcher, that Man Utd are planning to sign two players for £160million, as Amorim aims to continue the rebuilding of his squad.

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