1 month ago
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Five-year deal signed
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Manchester United confirmed the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko on Saturday. In a club statement, the Old Trafford side revealed that they had convinced the former Arsenal and Newcastle transfer target to join them on a five-year deal. According to Transfermarkt information, Sesko makes the move to Man Utd for an initial €76.5 million, with a further €8.5m in add-ons. Sources have told Transfermarkt that the potential add-ons are easy to reach, essentially making this a €85m deal for the Bundesliga club.
One all the add-ons are reached, Sesko will become the club's joint fourth most expensive signing ever, levelling Jadon Sancho's move from Borussia Dortmund in the 2021/22 season. “The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future," said Sesko in a club statement. “When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon. From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions." So is Sesko what Man United need? And is he ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League?
It's difficult to avoid direct comparisons between Sesko and Man City striker Erling Haaland. Both played for Red Bull Salzburg before heading to the Bundesliga. Both players are six-foot-five. Both have been tipped as one of Europe's top prospects at a young age. Ultimately, Haaland has gone on to prove he is world class. Every club would love their own Haaland, and some may be hoping Sesko, who turned 22 at the end of May, develops into just that in the future, although our German expert has compared him to another Premier League forward.
Is Benjamin Sesko ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League?
In terms of output, Sesko enjoyed his best ever season at top-level football in the 2024/25 campaign. As illustrated in the graphic above, he managed to provide 27 goal contributions (21 goals and six assists) across the course of last season. Whilst those numbers are certainly not sensational, they are adequate, and there is the sense that there is huge potential for the Slovenian to explode in the future. Alexander Binder is Transfermarkt's Chief Editor in Germany and tells us more about Sesko's style of play: "Sesko is a quick, physically dominant centre-forward who thrives in transitions and is a real aerial threat," he explained. "Over two seasons at RB Leipzig, he started out as an impact sub but gradually cemented his place in the starting XI. During that time, his market value nearly tripled—from €24 million to €70 million."
Whilst the notion of getting anywhere near Haaland's output in the future has been mentioned and some football fans have fantasised about Sesko developing in the same manner that Alexander Isak has during his time at Newcastle, it was another Premier League striker that Binder drew comparisons with: "His playing style is reminiscent of Liverpool's Darwin Núñez," the German revealed. Now this is a description that may not be met with exhilaration by Premeir League supporters, given that Núñez struggled to get into the Liverpool team last season, missed numerous guilt-edged chances, and is likely to be sold this summer. However, one trait that both players do have is that they're raw. Sesko is not the finished article.
Whilst this would suggest that Sesko is not ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League, there are some factors that could propose otherwise. "The Premier League looks like a natural fit for him," explained Binder. "His pace and physicality would make him a real handful for defenders. It seems like a great tactical match-up. However, to become a truly elite striker, he still needs to sharpen his finishing. In both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 Bundesliga campaigns, he ranked among the players with the most big chances missed."
Rejecting Manchester United in 2023
Several Premier League clubs have been rumoured to be interested in Sesko for a while now, as well as Saudi Pro League clubs reportedly trying to lure him to the Middle East. One club who have been consistently linked with him and now look most likely of being his next destination are Manchester United, and the Red Devils actually came very close to signing him from Red Bull Salzburg many moons ago. Sesko spoke exclusively to Transfermarkt in 2023 about that failed deal: “The thing is, I was not really into that kind of conversation,” Sesko said when confronted with Man Utd’s interest in signing him. “But I think it was better just to come here,” Sesko added referring to RB Leipzig. Man United instead opted to bring in Danish striker Rasmus Højlund that summer for €73.9m.
Instead, Sesko opted to remain within the Red Bull system, becoming the 20th player to move from Salzburg to Leipzig. Leipzig secured the striker in the summer of 2022, but left him in Salzburg for one more season, where he scored 16 goals and four assists in 30 Austrian Bundesliga games. “It was really important for me to go to a place that was playing a similar style of football,” Sesko said when asked about choosing Leipzig over other clubs. “I already knew what to do and didn’t have to go through an entire learning process again." It will, however, most likely be a huge learning process if Sesko is now to go to the Premier League and work under Ruben Amorim.
