Manchester United have now agreed personal terms with a 109 career-goal striker, with Jason Wilcox driving a move that could transpire in January.
Man Utd searching for striker with jury still out on Sesko
It was always going to take Benjamin Sesko time to adapt to the Premier League after making the move from RB Leipzig, and the Slovenian is yet to make a real impact, failing to score in his first four outings in all competitions.
However, United legend Roy Keane has defended the 22-year-old's slow start to life at Old Trafford, saying: "When there's a lot of speculation, some of these lads miss training over pre-season and it maybe just looks like he's not up to speed yet, but yeah undecided yet, give the kid a chance."
That said, having joined for the huge fee of £74m, Sesko will need to start scoring soon, especially given that Rasmus Hojlund has now joined Napoli on loan, while Joshua Zirkzee isn't exactly primed to provide much support, scoring just three league goals in 2024-25.
According to a report from Football Transfers, Man United have already set their sights on a new striker, who could join in the January transfer window, as personal terms have been agreed with Brighton & Hove Albion striker Danny Welbeck.
Welbeck is open to completing what would be a remarkable return to Old Trafford at the age of 34, and he has been identified as a low-cost addition to Ruben Amorim's frontline, with Wilcox said to be the driving force behind the deal.
The Englishman's name was brought up when the Red Devils enquired about Brighton teammate Carlos Baleba, and he is now seemingly being considered as a serious option, with the Seagulls willing to sanction a January departure.
"Amazing" Welbeck could be Zirkzee upgrade
The signing of the Brighton striker is unlikely to get too many fans excited, and in all honesty it is the type of business United should be avoiding, given that he will be 35 by the time a move to Old Trafford is feasible.
danny-welbeck
However, the 42-time England international, who has amassed 109 career goals at club level, is vastly experienced in the Premier League, and would probably be an upgrade on Zirkzee, having scored 10 league goals last season.
Lauded as "amazing" by former Brighton boss Graham Potter, the veteran striker has also outperformed Zirkzee across a range of key attacking metrics over the course of the past year.
Average per 90 Danny Welbeck Joshua Zirkzee
Non-penalty goals 0.31 0.20
Assists 0.13 0.10
Shots total 2.39 2.26
That said, outperforming the Dutchman isn't exactly the hallmark of being a top striker, and United need to be thinking about the future, rather than signing a former player who is arguably in the twilight years of his career.