Manchester United submit offer for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko

Manchester United have submitted a bid of €75million plus €10m in add-ons for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.The offer reflects Manchester United’s valuation of the player, and the club’s belief is he wants to move to Old Trafford.Leipzig are yet to respond to the Premier League club’s proposal.The Athletic reported on July 30 that Manchester United were prioritising a move for the 22-year-old forward if they were to sign another striker this summer and had made informal contact with the Bundesliga club.Manchester United’s offer comes after The Athletic reported on Monday that Newcastle United had submitted an improved bid for the striker. Their opening bid of €75million plus €5million in add-ons was deemed insufficient by Leipzig, leading Newcastle to increase it to at least €80m.Newcastle have a longstanding interest in Sesko, with the club’s pursuit of him coming amid last season’s top scorer Alexander Isak expressing a desire to leave. Liverpool had an initial £110m bid for Isak rejected.Manchester United have already strengthened in forward areas this summer with the additions of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford.Ruben Amorim’s side also admired Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins and explored the costs of a potential deals when considering a move for Sesko. The Manchester United hierarchy was reluctant to pay what they thought it may have taken for Villa to consider doing business.Sesko scored 21 goals in all competitions last season for Leipzig and has recorded 39 goals and eight assists in 87 appearances for the German club since signing from RB Salzburg in 2023.His Leipzig contract runs until 2029.Arsenal also previously held an interest in the forward but signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP in an initial €63.5million deal this summer. Chelsea had admired Sesko for several years but opted to sign Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this window.Why are Manchester United targeting Sesko?Analysis from the Athletic’s Manchester United correspondent Carl AnkaThe 22-year-old Slovenian striker may be the biggest, roughest and shiniest diamond operating towards the top of Europe’s top five leagues.This summer marks the third time Manchester United have been interested, first assessing him in 2019 when he emerged at NK Domzale’s senior team at 16, before monitoring him throughout the 2022-23 season, when he scored 16 goals in 30 games in the Austrian Bundesliga for Red Bull Salzburg.In 2025, he has developed into a sledgehammer of a striker. He combines straight-line speed, powerful finishing and sheer bloody-mindedness to become a forward that centre-backs hate playing against.A speedy, 195cm/6ft 5in striker who spent a brief period tearing up the Austrian league before moving to the Bundesliga, Sesko has earned some comparisons to Erling Haaland. Sesko is not quite at that level, but has plenty of the raw materials to suggest he could reach it.His shot map from 2023-24 illustrates a striker happy to go for goal wherever and whenever. Left foot, right foot, headers. Long-range cannons and plenty of pingers within the penalty box.Sesko is a striker with sky-high potential, but there is a considerable risk when signing such a player for a club like Manchester United. He has the physical tools to adjust to life in the Premier League, but no one knows for sure whether he will have the ‘above shoulders’ temperament to deal with the scrutiny of life at Old Trafford.(Photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images)David Ornstein joined The Athletic in October 2019 after 12 years as a sports journalist and correspondent at the BBC. In the role of Football Correspondent, he is responsible for producing exclusive and original stories and interviews, offering unique insight and analysis. He works across video, audio and the written word. Follow David on Twitter @David_Ornstein