‘Sizzling’ £60m Man Utd striker deal gets Ornstein boost

Manchester United have been given a lift as David Ornstein has suggested RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is more likely to join Ruben Amorim’s side than Arsenal this summer.

Man Utd have spent over £100million on new strikers in the last two years, having brought in Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. However, Amorim is seriously concerned about his options up front.

Hojlund has struggled for large parts of the campaign, while Zirkzee seems to be better suited to one of the two No 10 roles behind the main centre-forward.

Amorim has asked the United hierarchy to sign him a top new striker this summer who can score regular goals for his team next season.

United recruitment chiefs Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell have numerous strikers on their radar, including Bundesliga ace Sesko.

In his latest Q&A for The Athletic, Ornstein was quizzed on Sesko’s future and whether the 21-year-old will head to Arsenal in the summer.

While the Gunners are certainly admirers of Sesko, United seem to be among his more likely options.

“Arsenal have done a significant amount of work on Sesko over a long period. He is clearly a super talent who is doing really well and I’m sure he will continue to flourish,” Ornstein said.

“My colleague James McNicholas detailed recently that Arsenal have some reservations and so perhaps Mikel Arteta and [Andrea] Berta are prioritising others (we’ve reported previously about [Alexander] Isak/[Viktor] Gyokeres).

“That doesn’t mean to say Sesko is out of the equation but perhaps Arsenal is not looking like his most probable destination at this moment in time.

“We know Manchester United rate him highly, too… I seem to recall him being their top — or a prominent — target last summer before he decided to stay at Leipzig and sign a new contract. He is also among the names Chelsea are considering and I’m sure other top clubs are, too.

“It is not a cheap deal to do but none of these are and if/when Sesko does move, it seems whoever wins the race will be getting a gem.”

United’s new head of recruitment Vivell could play a key role in helping the Red Devils win the race for Sesko.

He knows the Slovenian well following their time together at Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

The Bundesliga website labels Sesko a ‘sizzling’ striker as he has managed 19 goals and six assists in 39 matches across all competitions.

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Benjamin Sesko wanted by England’s elite

Sesko is viewed as one of the best young No 9s in Europe and Leipzig want to be well compensated before letting him go.

Sesko has a ‘sliding scale’ release clause which currently sits at around £60m (€70m / $78m) but could increase depending on his form in the final few months of the campaign.

Sesko is ‘keen’ to join Arsenal, but Mikel Arteta’s side seem to be leaning towards different options.

TEAMtalk understands Chelsea have made ‘serious moves’ for Sesko. Although, they are currently prioritising a deal for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, which could open the door for United to swoop in for Sesko.

United will need to convince Sesko that they have a plan to get in the mix for major trophies in order to strike an agreement with the player himself and finalise the move.

Man Utd transfers: Target wants guarantees; pursuit back on

Another striker on United’s radar reportedly wants two promises to be made before he agrees a switch to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have also reignited their chase for a 22-year-old defender.

They are ready to ‘go all out’ to forge an agreement after previously missing out on his capture.

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