Manchester United may have been handed a potential boost in their efforts to sign RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, whom Newcastle United have identified a suitable alternative for.
The Red Devils and the Magpies are believed to be in a two-horse race for the Slovenia international, who was formerly on Arsenal's radar before the Gunners signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon.
Newcastle are understood to have tabled an opening offer of €80m (£69.7m) for Sesko - made up of a €75m (£65.4m) fixed fee plus €5m (£4.4m) in performance-related add-ons, but the bid fell short of Leipzig's valuation.
Whether Newcastle go back in with a revised proposal remains to be seen, but Sesko himself is thought to prefer a move to Old Trafford, even with no European football on offer in the red half of Manchester.
Ruben Amorim's side could now find themselves at the head of the queue, as the Daily Mail claims that Newcastle have earmarked Paris Saint-Germain's Goncalo Ramos as a strong alternative.
Newcastle 'reignite' interest in Ramos after Sesko rejection
Paris Saint-Germain's Goncalo Ramos pictured on April 19, 2025
The 24-year-old was understood to have been on Newcastle's radar back in the summer of 2022, but he ultimately remained at Benfica for another season-and-a-half before moving to the French capital.
Ramos has contributed a respectable 33 goals and eight assists from 86 matches for Les Parisiens in all tournaments, hitting double figures in each of the last two Ligue 1 campaigns and netting three times in last season's Champions League en route to the trophy.
However, the Portugal international was outshone by Ousmane Dembele in 2024-25, and Newcastle could now look to take advantage of the situation if they concede defeat in the race for Sesko.
PSG could drive a hard bargain for Ramos, though, as the striker is still under contract at the Parc des Princes for another three years and joined for €65m (£56.7m) midway through the 2023-24 campaign.
Newcastle are targeting either Sesko or Ramos as a possible replacement for Alexander Isak, whom Eddie Howe recently criticised for "acting poorly"amid interest from Premier League champions Liverpool.
Comparing Ramos and Sesko amid Newcastle, Man Utd transfer links
Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig before his side's match against Werder Bremen, on January 12, 2025
Even though Sesko started 18 more league matches and played over 1,000 more top-flight minutes than Ramos last season, the Leipzig man only registered five more goal contributions than the PSG striker.
Sesko ended the season with 13 goals and five assists in the Bundesliga, whereas Ramos contributed 10 strikes and three helpers in Ligue 1, thereby boasting a significantly higher goals per 90 ratio.
The Portugal international registered 0.84 strikes per 90 minutes in the French top flight, whereas Sesko posted 0.49, although the Slovenia international has the edge when it comes to Expected Goals (xG) over-performance.
Sesko's 13 goals came from an xG of exactly 10 last season, whereas Ramos's 10 efforts were inferior to his 13.6 xG, although the PSG man attempted more shots per 90 and also bettered Sesko's tally of shots on target (43.9% to 55.8%).
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