Newcastle United could make a move for Arsenal-linked Benjamin Sesko this summer, though a deal could depend on the club bringing in a big fee for Alexander Isak first.
David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that Newcastle United are looking at a move for Benjamin Sesko, who appeared to be Arsenal’s top target for the centre-forward at one stage.
The Gunners have long since moved on to Viktor Gyokeres, and it seemed as though Sesko was destined to remain in Germany for another year. But Newcastle have the striker as a top target if Alexander Isak leaves.
Ornstein adds that the deal would be challenging for Newcastle financially, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Sesko has a gentleman’s agreement to leave RB Leipzig for around €70-80m with €5-10m of add-ons, but only for certain clubs. It’s not clear whether that group includes Newcastle.
Amid the suggestion that Sesko would cost a bare minimum of €75m (£65.6m), in addition to claims of high wage demands, it makes sense that the player is only likely to join if Isak leaves first.
On that front, Liverpool are interested in the signing, and the player has informed Newcastle that he wants to leave. Martin Hardy reports that Isak has turned down attempts at a new contract to stay in Newcastle, and he’s exploring his options this summer.
Yet Newcastle’s stance remains that the striker is not for sale. Given their struggles to attract new signings this summer, it would be a real blow if they also lost their best player to a Premier League rival.
Liverpool also need to sell before they can reasonably bid close to Newcastle’s reported £150m valuation, with the likes of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez seemingly on the market for that purpose.
This saga appears set to drag on throughout the remainder of the summer, with the window closing just over a month from now on Monday, September 1st.