Manchester United are set to battle a number of their Premier League rivals for a striker this summer
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admitted on Sunday his side have a problem with scoring goals as the Red Devils were knocked out of the FA Cup by Fulham. The London outfit won on penalties at Old Trafford after the sides finished level at 1-1 after 120 minutes of action.
United’s struggles in front of goal are no secret, with Amorim’s side scoring just 33 times in 27 Premier League games this term. Only five teams have a worse record than the Red Devils on that front, with all of those clubs sat below United in the table.
Victor Osimhen has been one big name linked with a summer move to Old Trafford but whether the club can get a deal done with Napoli remains to be seen. There had been reports in Italy that Napoli were weighing up a potential swap deal with Rasmus Hojlund heading to Naples as part of a deal for Osimhen.
United ‘express interest’ in signing Sesko
Amid their reported interest in Osimhen, Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has claimed that United are one of several English clubs to express an interest in signing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have also been named specifically while Manchester City are said not to be involved in the race for the player’s signature.
Sesko is said to have a release clause in his contract, but that is set to rise to €80m by the end of the season. It currently stands at €70m but it increases based on the player’s performances. The clause can be activated this summer.
Sesko has scored 17 goals for Leipzig this season, as the Bundesliga club fight for a place in the Champions League. They are sixth in the Bundesliga standings right now but are just three points adrift of the top four. United’s only chance of clinching Champions League football next season is by winning the Europa League, as they currently languish in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Sesko career so far
The 21-year-old striker first emerged with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, scoring 29 goals and providing 11 assists in 79 games. He made the switch to RB Leipzig in July of 2023 and is contracted to the German outfit until 2029. He has already been capped 39 times by Slovenia, scoring 16 goals for his country.
This season he netted four goals in the Champions League but Leipzig endured a campaign to forget as they lost seven of their eight games in the competiton. Their only win was a 2-1 victory over Sporting CP - which came in January, well after Amorim had departed the Portuguese club for United. Since joining Leipzig, he has scored 35 goals in 76 games for the club, while also providing seven assists.
It is clear United are in need of a striker who can regularly put the ball in the net but with the Red Devils facing a shortfall in revenue if they miss out on the Champions League, they may need to look at cheaper options as Leipzig are unlikely to let Sesko go for less than his release clause.