Man Utd recieve green Light as they learn conditions to sign outstanding €80m-rated Bundesliga striker amid strong Arsenal links

Man Utd recieve green Light as they learn conditions to sign outstanding €80m-rated Bundesliga striker amid strong Arsenal links

Manchester United have been given the green light to sign elite striker Benjamin Sesko this summer after a big revelation emerged over the clause in his contract, while how much Sir Jim Ratcliffe will need to fork out and who their main competition is has also come to light.

The Red Devils have struggled badly in attack this season and that is one of the major areas that Ratcliffe, new director of recruitment Christopher Vivell and manager Ruben Amorim will be desperate to address this summer.

And having registered a meagre 33 goals in 27 Premier League games, Manchester United have scored just seven more than relegation-threatened Ipswich and exactly half the total so far of the division’s sharp-shooters, Liverpool.

And with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee on barren runs in front of goal – the Dane’s goal drought now stretches back 17 games to December 12, while the Netherlands attacker has just two goals in his last 21 appearances – it is clear a major upgrade is required this summer.

As a result, the usual big names have been linked with United in recent weeks, with Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres among those frequently mentioned as targets.

However, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has now thrust the name of Sesko firmly into the mix after naming United as top suitors for his signature and better yet, having made clear the exit clause that exists in his contract.

He only signed a new deal with RB Leipzig last summer in the wake of persistent interest from Arsenal. That deal was not thought to contain a clause, but now Plettenberg has received new information that proves he can be prised away if a certain price is met.

‘All top English clubs have expressed interest, including Manchester United, Tottenham, and Arsenal. The only club not involved in the race is Manchester City.’

While the €80m (£66.1m, $84m) clause is on the steep side, it does at least offer United the chance to secure a striker who has long been on their radar.

And at just €15m more than the amount needed to sign Harry Kane this summer – he can leave Bayern if a fee of €65m is met in his Bayern deal this summer – Ratcliffe may feel that, given Sesko’s age of 21, compared to the England captain who turns 32 this summer – a deal for the Slovenian makes far better sense.

Sesko’s clause also compares favourably to Osimhem, who can leave Napoli this summer for €75m.

Their other target, Gyokeres, has a €100m clause in his Sporting CP deal, though it is thought the Portuguese side would be willing to negotiate for much less this summer.

United have also been told by Leipzig forward Yussuf Poulsen that Sesko is ‘the best he has ever played with’.

Speaking to TNT Sports in December, long-serving Leipzig forward stated: “If you look at his abilities, he has everything a top No. 9 needs.

“He’s still young, he still needs to learn, not the technical things about being a striker but maybe more the finesse side.

“He has everything, strength, shooting, technique, everything. I like working with him and I’m trying to get him there – he’ll go on and score a lot of goals for us and some point go to the club he’ll love to play for.”