Eddie Howe has confirmed there’s “not much time” for Newcastle United after the club reportedly set a deadline for Benjamin Sesko to make a decision.
On Saturday, Newcastle United made a club-record bid for Sesko, worth an initial £65.5million.
RB Leipzig haven’t accepted Newcastle’s offer but reports suggest that it’s because of the payment structure, rather than an outright rejection.
Newcastle will not sell Alexander Isak until they sign a replacement and Sesko could well be considered one.
Still, Manchester United want to sign Sesko, who is still reportedly making a decision on his next move.
Newcastle do not have long to wait, they desperately need a striker as long as the Isak saga is dragging on.
Benjamin Sesko looks on during the Bundesliga game between RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Eddie Howe confirms urgent need for Newcastle United transfers
Howe was speaking after Newcastle drew 1-1 with Tottenham in the final pre-season game of their tour of Asia.
The Newcastle United manager admits that the club simply do not have much time to sign players and bed them into his style of play. Previously, the likes of Lewis Hall, Anthony Gordon and even Sandro Tonali have taken a while to shine under his watch.
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Newcastle travel to Aston Villa on Saturday 16 August, which comes less than two weeks after the Spurs game.
“There’s not much time,” he said when asked about transfers.
“Especially when you consider that you’ve got to get whoever comes in – and I’m talking any position – up to speed with how we play.
“The intricacies of what we do, it’s not easy, it’s not always easy to get that straight away.
“So yeah, we’re still active in the market. We’re looking for players.”
Newcastle United ‘set Benjamin Sesko deadline’ amid Man Utd fears
According to The Daily Mail, the club have a preferred deadline for Sesko’s decision.
The report claims that Newcastle would like a response from the forward’s agents within the next 24 hours.
It’s added that the longer he takes to make the call, the more the feeling grows that he’s just holding out for a move to Manchester United.
With the Premier League season starting later this month, Newcastle need to move on to other targets if Sesko wants to move to Old Trafford.