Newcastle hijack ON as ‘concrete talks’ begin with €55m ‘compete striker’ after Benjamin Sesko picks Man Utd

Newcastle United have opened talks with a striker that Kylian Mbappe is a huge fan of after missing out on the signing of Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United, according to a report, as TEAMtalk reveals the name of the forward who is ‘eager’ to make the move to St. James’ Park.

With Liverpool determined to sign Alexander Isak before the summer transfer window closes, Newcastle are on the hunt for a replacement for the Sweden international striker. Last season’s Carabao Cup winners were keen on a deal for Sesko and made offers to both the striker and his club, RB Leipzig, but in the end, the Slovenia international chose Man Utd instead.

Newcastle are now back to the drawing board, with manager Eddie Howe having missed out on Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike as well earlier this summer.

The Magpies, though, have not given up on the prospect of luring a top striker to St. James’ Park this summer and are now in talks with a Paris Saint-Germain forward.

According to Sky Germany journalist Patrick Berger on X, Newcastle are now ‘in concrete talks’ with Randal Kolo Muani, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus.

Berger wrote at 2:48pm on August 8: ‘Newcastle United is in concrete talks with striker Randal Kolo Muani (26).

‘The PSG forward is now top of the #NUFC shortlist after Benjamin Šeško decided to join Manchester United.

‘Newcastle have other options too with Ramos, Watkins and Jackson.’

There have been reports in the Italian media that Juventus are in talks with PSG over signing Kolo Muani on a permanent basis.

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Serie A club have given themselves a deadline of August 13 to get a deal done and are aiming to finalise a loan agreement with an obligation to make it permanent for around €45-50m (up to £43.3m, $58.2m).

However, that Newcastle have now made a move suggests that the Premier League club’s chances of hijacking the deal are very much on.

TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, has reported that Tottenham are also interested in Kolo Muani, with PSG demanding €55million (£48m / $64m) for the 26-year-old France international striker.

Described as a “very complete” striker by Real Madrid and France international star Mbappe in Metro in March 2023, Kolo Muani scored 10 goals and gave three assists in 22 appearances for Juventus during his loan spell.

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Nicolas Jackson ready to join Newcastle from Chelsea – sources

While it remains to be seen if Kolo Muani would be keen on a switch to the Magpies, TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is ready to move to Newcastle.

Sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, that Newcastle have reached out directly to Jackson’s representatives.

We understand that Jackson is eager to join Newcastle, having decided that his time at Chelsea is up following the signings of Delap and Pedro.

Newcastle, though, are not putting all their eggs in one basket and have alternatives to Jackson.

Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa, FC Porto star Samu Aghehowa, Brentford ace Yoane Wissa and RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda are the other strikers on Newcastle’s shortlist.

Latest Newcastle news: Wolves striker on target, winger contact

A report has claimed that Newcastle are increasingly likely to make a move for a Wolves striker, as their other top targets are becoming tough to get.

Newcastle have been rocked by the news that Tottenham and Bayern Munich have now stepped up their pursuits for strikers that are on their radar.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Rudy Galetti, has reported that Newcastle are in contact to sign a winger, who is also the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

How Randal Kolo Muani compares to Benjamin Sesko