Manchester United have already received positive signs of Benjamin Sesko's character this summer as they look to wrap up a deal for the RB Leipzig striker
Isaac is a senior NCTJ-trained journalist with an MA in News Journalism. He has experience of working for national and regional news organisations including the Express, the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo. He currently covers sport across all regional sites at Reach PLC.
Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig looks on
Manchester United are optimistic over a deal for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko this summer
(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Benjamin Sesko has already provided positive indications of his character as Manchester United look to wrap up a deal for the RB Leipzig striker.
The Manchester Evening News understands that United have tabled a bid of €75million (£65.3m), with an additional €10m (£8.7m) in add-ons, to secure Sesko's services. Despite Newcastle presenting Leipzig with a more attractive financial package - the player's personal preference is likely to be the deciding factor.
The Magpies are gearing up for a campaign in the Champions League under Eddie Howe while United won't be offering any European football. However, there's hope that Sesko is eager to join Ruben Amorim's squad as they aim to bounce back from a disastrous 2024/25 season under the former Sporting head coach.
Leipzig, meanwhile, confirmed on Wednesday that the 22-year-old is continuing training alone as he looks to resolve his future. The Slovenian has taken a very different approach to some of the other big-name strikers when they have been surrounded by transfer speculation - providing Amorim with positive signs.
Former Reds-linked Viktor Gyokeres went on strike at Sporting amid a dispute over the transfer fee he was permitted to depart for. The former Coventry City forward eventually joined Premier League rivals Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Gyokeres' compatriot at Newcastle, Alexander Isak, was left out of the club's pre-season tour of Asia before travelling to train in Spain instead of staying in the North East.
The pair will have had their reasons for taking the actions they did, and it's important to note that Isak has since returned to Newcastle amid interest from Liverpool. But Sesko's approach to sealing a summer exit has been very different to both players as he continues to train at his club.
Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig
Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig(Image: Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
And Amorim's recent comments suggest that United have completed thorough checks on his character before accelerating their interest. It comes after previous claims that the Reds have faced attitude problems, fallouts and dressing room leaks with their squad.
"It is a key point in our way of doing things now," he told club media at United's training base in Chicago this summer.
"It's not just how they play. It's really important how they play, of course, because that is their job, but their character is really important.
"We took a lot of time to get to know the players and talk with everybody before we brought players into our group. That is going to be a rule and will be massive in our decision to sign a player."
United will be hoping that their assessments of Sesko's character will translate into goals and provide the much-needed boost Amorim so badly needs in 2025/26.
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