Manchester United and Newcastle are battling for Benjamin Sesko after both tabling bids, and the 22-year old is being urged to use their interest to his advantage
Benjamin Sesko has been told he could command a bigger salary than expected as Manchester United and Newcastle battle for his signature. Both Premier League teams have tabled bids for the RB Leipzig striker as they look to secure their top summer target.
Newcastle were first to make a formal offer for the 22-year-old that was rejected by the Bundesliga club. The Magpies then returned with an improved bid of £69.5m plus £8.6m in add-ons on Monday.
The Red Devils then made their move on Tuesday with a proposed deal worth £65.2m plus £8.6m in further payments. Sesko, who netted 21 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions last season, is believed to be training separately from the Leipzig squad as the race to sign him heats up.
The Slovenian international has now been advised by former United and Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster to turn the situation to his advantage by using it to leverage more money in wages. The 42-year-old also urged him to choose a switch to Old Trafford rather than take on the burden of potentially having to replace Alexander Isak's impressive goal haul at Newcastle.
"If he goes to Newcastle, the Champions League is a massive draw, but he's got some big boots to fill there with Isak," said Foster on his Fozcast podcast. " As a striker, I don't know if you necessarily need that kind of excess pressure as well.
"Whereas at United, he hasn't got it so much. They're not the Man United of old but in stature, it's still Manchester United. You're going to get the same wages no matter where you go. The fact that you've got two [clubs interested] means you might just be able to bump it up by an extra £50,000 a week."
Newcastle have opted to chase Sesko after Isak, who scored 23 goals across all competitions last season, told the club he wants to leave St James' Park following interest from Liverpool. The reigning Premier League champions had an initial offer for Isak rejected last week, but are expected to return with a second bid.
By comparison, United are looking to improve on Rasmus Hojlund, who boasted a less impressive tally of 10 goals last term. The Red Devils have already bolstered their forward line this summer by signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for a combined sum of £133.5m.
According to a report by the Athletic, United are eyeing other options in case they lose out to Newcastle. Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson is one target who is understood to be on their radar and could be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge this summer subject to a reasonable offer.
Meanwhile, French outlet L'Equipe claims that Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani is another possibility United are considering. Juventus were the original favourites for Muani, but the deal is said to have hit a stumbling block.
Sesko was left out of Leipzig's squad for their pre-season game against Atalanta on Saturday. When asked for the reason for his exclusion, head coach Marcel Schafer said it was "obvious."
"We won't go into detail on that, but when I say that several clubs have shown strong interest and have made approaches, it's obvious what has happened," he said.