Newcastle United have seemingly edged ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign RB Salzburg sensation Benjamin Sesko as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the new campaign.
That’s according to The Northern Echo, who state that the Magpies are ready to test Salzburg’s nerves by proposing a formal inquiry for the 19-year-old star who has been dubbed as the next Erling Haaland.
After earning a similar reputation to what the Norwegian did in his time at the Red Bull Arena, there is a confidence that the Slovenian will go on to become a real star in his career – most likely at a top European club.
With Newcastle aiming to reach that status in the next few years, Eddie Howe wishes to add a striker and a wide player to his ranks ahead of the transfer deadline in September and has earmarked Sesko as a potential target.
The St. James’ Park outfit enquired about his services last month, although Salzburg gave them the hard shoulder by stating that they didn’t wish to sell the prodigy.
But with deals taking Hugo Ekitike, Moussa Diaby, Armando Broja and James Maddison all failing to take off, Howe could well reignite his interest in Sesko.
A fee of £45m has been touted as being good enough to bring the Austrian champions to the table, although Newcastle are looking towards offering an initial £27m with add-ons to take the fee way above the initial mark.
Sesko would challenge Callum Wilson up front, with the Coventry-born star opening his account for the season in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.