Agent of £43m Newcastle United transfer target spotted at Old Trafford - Arsenal also interested

Talk of Red Bull Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko joining a Premier League club intensified over the weekend.

The 20-year-old - who has drawn comparison to Manchester City star Erling Haaland - has a €50million (£42.7million) release clause in his contract that is due to become active this summer.

And Sesko has been linked with a host of English clubs, including Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

His agent Elvis Basanovic has attended Premier League games on multiple occasions this campaign, and his latest visit took him to Old Trafford for Man United’s 1-0 defat to Arsenal on Sunday.

Posting on Instagram, Basanovic wrote: “Just an ordinary day in @PremierLeague office”. Meanwhile, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano added: Benjamin Sesko’s agent was in attendance at Old Trafford for Manchester United-Arsenal. Here’s Elvis Basanovic posting from the stadium ahead of summer transfer window.”

Sesko spent four years at RB Salzburg before moving to their sister club RB Leipzig last summer. But after just one season, the Bundesliga side are already resigned to losing the 20-year-old.

The Slovenia international has been tipped for a big future since his Salzburg days and that promise has continued at Leipzig having scored 17 goals in41 appearances this term.

Newcastle’s interest in Sesko first dates back to when he was at Salzburg but head coach Eddie Howe may look to prioritise bolstering other areas.

Alexander Isak has scored over 20 goals this campaign while Callum Wilson has netted 10 times, although concerns remain over his fitness having missed 24 games through injury.

“When either one of our two strikers has been missing it has impacted us, there is no doubt about that,” Howe said on Tuesday. “They are two high-level players. You saw when they played in tandem at Burnley how good they were together, how promising that partnership could be. We just haven’t had the ability to link them together too many times. 

“Of course (availability) forms part of your planning, it would be foolish for me to say otherwise. Anthony Gordon can play as a striker, but you lose him from his winger position. We need a squad that can deal with all types of absentees and problems, which you’re going to get during a season. That is what we’ll try to build.

“But all I’ll say on that, and I’ll urge the word “caution”, is that to sign strikers of the ability to score goals in the Premier League would cost you an awful lot of money. I have to get the balance right between doing that and exposing ourselves in other areas, where the money might need to go.”