Manchester United could ruin a transfer that has already been agreed when bringing in Erik ten Hag’s new number nine, Tottenham and Chelsea may struggle to convince a Premier League star to join after it emerged he supports the Red Devils, while Wednesday’s Transfer Gossip claims a Crystal Palace ace is considering following Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nassr.
AGREED TRANSFER WON’T STOP MAN UTD STRIKER PURSUIT
Man Utd are seriously interested in Red Bull Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko and are willing to rip up his existing agreement with RB Leipzig in order to land him, according to reports.
Sesko is following in the footsteps of Manchester City attacker Erling Haaland by impressing at Salzburg. Last season, he notched 11 goals and seven assists in 37 matches, despite being just 19 years old.
Sesko could finish on even more goal contributions this season as his current record stands at eight goals and three assists from 27 appearances. He is not ripping up the Austrian Bundesliga as much as Haaland did, but his stock still remains high and he looks destined to play for one of Europe’s biggest clubs in the future.
In August last year, Leipzig announced they had agreed a deal with sister club Salzburg to buy Sesko. According to Goal, the transfer is worth €24million (£20m). Sesko will spend the current campaign on loan at Salzburg before linking up with Leipzig in the summer, having signed a five-year contract with the German Bundesliga side.
However, according to ESPN, Sesko can still go to another club this summer. Salzburg and Leipzig will be willing to rip up their transfer agreement if another team pays big money for the devastating Slovenia international.
And this is where Man Utd come in. Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke has provided an update on Ten Hag’s hunt for a new striker. Wout Weghorst looks set to leave Old Trafford once his loan spells ends, while Anthony Martial could be sold.
Benjamin Sesko on three-man shortlist
This means Ten Hag must find a new goalscorer to lead his forward line, allowing Marcus Rashford to play in his preferred left winger position. The report reveals the three names which are on Ten Hag’s wish list.
Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen are the main targets right now. However, they will both cost over £100m to sign from Tottenham and Napoli respectively.
As such, Sesko could be pursued instead. He will cost around half of that amount, as the Daily Mail put his transfer value at £55m.
Football Insider refer to Sesko as a ‘long-term target’ of Man Utd’s. They entered talks to sign him in the 2022 summer transfer window, only to lose out to Leipzig.
But Man Utd are expected to re-enter discussions over the coming months as they look for a cheaper alternative to Kane and Osimhen.
TOTTENHAM, CHELSEA-LINKED FORWARD IS MAN UTD FAN
On Monday, Tottenham and Chelsea were tipped to go after Brighton’s breakout star Evan Ferguson. The 18-year-old striker has impressed in recent months, scoring league goals against Arsenal, Everton and Leicester.
The Sun claim Ferguson is attracting attention from Spurs and Chelsea recruitment staff. He could become the latest talent to leave Brighton for a hefty price tag, after Ben White, Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard, just to name a few.
But Spurs and Chelsea may struggle to convince Ferguson to join them after the player’s comments about Man Utd emerged.
Man Utd fan website The People’s Person have dug out Ferguson’s quotes about him supporting Man Utd. “I grew up a Manchester United fan, so I used to watch Danny [Welbeck] every week and now he’s a teammate. It’s weird playing and training with him every day,” the Republic of Ireland international said.
Ferguson has also revealed how he had a trial with the Red Devils before ending up at Brighton, which has turned out to be the perfect club for his development.
“I was on trial with Manchester United, Celtic, and Everton,” he added. “I think from the outside it was obvious to see that pathway and most of the managers here have given chances to young players.”
A player supporting a fierce rival does not stop them from joining another English side. However, in Ferguson’s case, Spurs and Chelsea may have serious problems in trying to sign him if Man Utd enter the bidding.
For now, Ferguson will just aim to continue scoring goals and setting them up for his team-mates. This is the best thing he can do to keep the likes of Spurs and Chelsea interested.
But in the back of his mind he will also be thinking about what White has achieved since leaving Brighton for Arsenal. A transfer to one of England’s biggest teams would be great, but Ferguson must wait until the right time before making that move so he does not jeopardise his development.
PALACE ATTACKER TO SECURE SURPRISE MOVE
Wilfried Zaha is looking into a shock transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, where he could play alongside legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a report.
Ronaldo joined the cash-rich Middle Eastern outfit in January after his Man Utd contract was terminated by mutual consent.
He is earning phenomenal money at Al Nassr, both for playing for them and being an ambassador to the Saudi Arabian top flight.
And now it seems Zaha wants a piece of the action. As per the Evening Standard, the Eagles ace is ‘considering’ whether to accept an offer from Al Nassr.
The winger will become a free agent on June 30 after rejecting multiple contract proposals from Palace. And Al Nassr are one of three Saudi clubs who have declared their interest in Zaha.
And despite him being 30 years old and still able to compete at the highest level, Zaha is ‘interested’ in becoming the latest big name to go to Saudi Arabia.
Zaha is also being courted by Italian giants AC Milan. But surprisingly, Zaha is leaning towards an Al Nassr move over them.
The report notes that Palace are still keen to tie their talisman down amid the growing exit rumours. They are even happy to offer him a pay rise on his current £130,000-a-week wage.
However, Zaha’s camp believe this summer will be the perfect time for him to move elsewhere. He has spent plenty of time at Selhurst Park so he wants a new challenge, and the money Al Nassr are offering will be extremely hard to turn down.
