Man Utd in contact to sign “the new Haaland”

What to do with Rasmus Hojlund? On one hand, the Dane is a talented young striker who cost Manchester United a sum of £72m in 2023; on the other, he flattered to deceive across the 2024/25 campaign, wholly unconvincing.

Ruben Amorim took the wheel of a sinking ship when he replaced Erik ten Hag last November, but there’s no denying the Portuguese tactician failed to get the desired tune out of his Red Devils troops.

United finished 15th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur. The whole team lacked fluency and confidence, but Hojlund did himself few favours, scoring just three goals across 32 league games, averaging only one shot per game, as per Sofascore.

His woes have led to the expectation, or at least anticipation, that he will be offloaded this summer, and while Inter Milan have registered their interest this summer, talks are on standby; Jason Wilcox, technical director at Old Trafford, is unsure whether he will be signing off the 22-year-old’s departure, who reportedly wants to stay put.

While Hojlund’s future remains up in the air, it’s clear that INEOS and Amorim are congruent in their view that a new, high-performing centre-forward is needed.

Let’s have a look at the latest.

The latest on Man Utd’s striker search

They started with Liam Delap. Man United were very much among the clubs interested in the Ipswich Town striker after his side’s relegation from the Premier League, thus unlocking his £30m release clause.

But it was Chelsea who activated the clause and added him to their ranks.

Still, United’s signing of Cunha and prospective transfer for Mbeumo could redefine Amorim’s frontline, and therre are other number nines who could be enticed by this resurgence-chasing team.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like that striker will be Viktor Gyokeres, who is on strike at Sporting Lisbon as he looks to engineer a move to Arsenal, which is now entering the final stages according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners’ shortlist came down to two, and they can’t have both. Therefore, a door has been opened for United to make a stunning swoop.

According to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Man United are among the contenders for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who is valued at €90m (roughly £78m).

It’s that substantial price tag which effectively ended Arsenal’s long-standing interest in the Slovenia international, instead pushing ahead with the deal for Gyokeres.

It may prove to work out just fine for the Red Devils, though, for Sesko’s camp have made contact with United as they look to secure the 22-year-old the high-profile transfer he craves.

However, Wilcox will need to work swiftly if he’s to lift the mood on the red side of Manchester, with Bailey confirming Liverpool and Newcastle United are also informed on Sesko’s situation.

Why Man Utd must sign Benjamin Sesko

Sesko will be aware that signing for Man United this summer would mean a season without continental competition. But then Leipzig failed to qualify for Europe last term, and the Devils have ambitious plans that the rangy forward would help realise.

Described as “the new Haaland” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Sesko’s clinical nature, his pace and his physicality all combine to offer similarities to the game of Manchester City’s world-class goalscorer.

Sesko might not be as complete as Gyokeres (yet), but he’s the making of a world-class striker, with analyst Ben Mattinson even saying earlier in 2025 that he has a “superior profile” to the Sweden star.

It might not look like that at face value, with Gyokeres scoring 97 goals and supplying 28 assists across 102 matches for Sporting Lisbon, winning the Liga Portugal in each of his two terms.

Furthermore, the 27-year-old proved his quality in the Champions League last year, dispatching a stunning hat-trick against Manchester City while under Amorim’s wing.

But Gyokeres is no spring chicken and has yet to compete in one of Europe’s top five divisions. Sesko, however, is competing in a tougher league, with less dominance to exert his authority.

Thus, it could be surmised that the Slovenian would produce a lofty tally of his own, were he playing as Sporting’s number nine in Portugal.

Clearly, passing isn’t his strong suit, but Sesko’s strength and movement as a frontman are things to be admired, having made real headway across the physical aspects of the game.

He’s getting better and better, and it’s certainly intriguing to note that only 18 big chances have gone begging across his past two Bundesliga campaigns, having scored 27 goals.

In fact, Sesko’s 39-goal, eight-assist return for Leipzig, across two seasons, has come over just 87 matches in all competitions, 62 of which came from the outset.

With Matheus Cunha and hopefully Bryan Mbeumo too flanking Amorim’s central striker at the Theatre of Dreams next season, Sesko would have the experienced, Premier League-proven teammates to bolster him and help him realise his potential.

And that potential is vast. Who knows whether Sesko would hit the ground running – or Gyokeres, for that matter – but Amorim is looking to turn Old Trafford back into a hothouse for development and success, and Sesko could be the perfect man to lead the line for many years to come.