Newcastle United are weighing up a potential move for Benjamin Sesko after walking away from talks to sign Hugo Ekitike.
The club had explored a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt but have now ended their interest in the French striker. According to TBR Football, no formal bid was made, with sources at Newcastle suggesting the valuation was too high.
The Carabao Cup winners have been forced to explore their options, with Liverpool courting Alexander Isak despite his £130m price tag.
Sesko, who scored 21 goals and added six assists across 45 appearances for RB Leipzig last season, is now one of several options under consideration, according to the same report.
The 22-year-old had been a key target for Arsenal earlier in the summer, but their attention has shifted to Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres following a breakthrough in talks.
That shift has created an opening for other clubs. Intermediaries are understood to have offered Sesko to a number of Premier League sides, with Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool all linked in recent weeks.
Newcastle are now thought to be assessing whether a deal is possible, particularly with limited value elsewhere in the current striker market.
Leipzig reportedly demanded around £78 million when Arsenal were in discussions, and it’s unclear whether that valuation has changed.
Newcastle have not entered formal talks, but their name has been added to the growing list of interested parties monitoring the situation.
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Sesko is said to be open to remaining in Germany but would consider a move to the Premier League if the right opportunity arose. He joined Leipzig from Red Bull Salzburg in 2023 and has quickly established himself as one of the most talked-about young forwards in the Bundesliga.
The Slovenian forward recently took to Instagram to share snaps of himself modelling Leipzig’s new kit for the coming soon, suggesting a willingness to stay.
Newcastle remain active in the striker market and are continuing to assess several possible additions, with reports today confirming Yoane Wissa as an option.
Wissa continues to be tracked following Brentford’s rejection of an approach from Nottingham Forest. The club also missed out on Joao Pedro, who has gone on to impress for Chelsea at the Club World Cup.
Anthony Elanga has already arrived from Forest to strengthen the wide areas, but further business is expected before the window closes.
A new centre-forward remains a priority, with rather speculative and unfounded links around the continent linking them to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ollie Watkins and Nicolas Jackson, among others.
The Toon Army were also credited with an interest in Real Madrid’s Endrick, according to a report in Defensa Central in Spain.