Newcastle United transfer news as the pursuit of Benjamin Sesko gets caught up in a fresh saga
Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig
Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig(Image: Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Newcastle United have been warned that their pursuit of Benjamin Sesko could get caught in the crossfire of another saga involving their archrivals, Sunderland.
As reported by Chronicle LIVE, the Magpies have tabled a £65.5m bid for Sesko, 22, who scored 21 goals in all competitions last season for RB Leipzig. The club's Saudi-backed ownership are committed to establishing Eddie Howe's side as a firm fixture in the top-five and are battling Manchester United to land the striker.
Newcastle are no strangers to having their transfer plans come undone by rivals, especially this summer, and now they have been handed a heads-up about another potential hurdle.
According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, it is 'questionable' exactly how many of their star players Leipzig will be tempted to part ways with in the final month of the transfer window.
At present, Slovenian goalscorer Sesko and Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simons have been linked with Premier League switches.
And now, so too is another attacker, Lois Openda, who is credited with interest from Sunderland. It is claimed he has made the list of Stadium of Light chiefs, looking to continue their £140m transfer haul before returning to the English top-flight later this month.
If Sunderland were to strike a quick deal with Leipzig for the Belgian international, it is unclear as of yet how this could impact Newcastle's hopes of plucking Sesko from the Saxony-based club.
Howe is known to be a big fan of 6ft 5in striker Sesko. The Magpies boss, responding to a question on the club's pre-season tour, answered: "We are looking at the best players we can get.
"We are only looking at the best we can get, I see all situations open and available to us. I feel that is the only way we are going to get where we want to go, which is to maximise quality over quantity.
"That is the way it has always been, the way we work, we try to improve, we have done it pretty well to this point.
"It has been a challenging summer, as you know. We have missed out on loads of different targets for different reasons.
"But we are still very competitive and we are still in there trying to bring good players to the club, that won't change until the window shuts."
The race for Sesko's signature continues, even though only days ago, the suggestion had been that Man United were pulling away in the race.
The transfer saga unfolds amid Liverpool interest in Newcastle's current star striker, Alexander Isak. The Reds saw a straight £110m offer turned down on Friday for the 25-year-old, in line with Tyneside bosses' long-term not-for-sale stance, and as of yet there is no suggestion a second attempt will be made.