Newcastle enter into negotiations with Benjamin Sesko’s entourage, Manchester United still interested | OneFootball

Multiple reliable footballing media sources are now reporting that Newcastle United have entered into negotiations to acquire RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. Interest from the Magpies cropped up over the weekend. It also looks to be the case that Manchester United – contrary to recent reports – aren’t totally withdrawing their interest in the Slovenian international just yet. The saga over the Bundesliga striker’s future continues.

Sky Austria reports that Newcastle have entered into talks with Sesko’s entourage. Sky Germany’s Philipp Hinze, meanwhile, claims that United are also conducting talks with Sekso’s representation. The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs notes that United continue to monitor the situation after Newcastle tendered a £60m bid to the German Red Bulls.

On the Leipzig side, Philipp Hinze reports that RB have agreed to personal terms with Brazilian striker Rômulo of Turkish outfit Göztepe SK. The 23-year-old forward currently maintains a €13m estimated market value. Hinze reports that Göztepe seek a €25-30m fee for their player while the Bundesliga outfit doesn’t wish to spend more than €20m.

The transfer fee, by far, isn’t the biggest stumbling block affecting the deal. Leipzig’s current squad size (38 players) remains far too large by German standards. Marcel Schäfer and the RB administrative team must find a way off offloading some of the dead-weight, most exigently when it comes to high-salary lead attackers with few playing prospects.

Having just brought in three new attacking additions (Yan Diomande, Andrija Maksimovic, and Johan Bakayoko), at least three subtractions need to come before Schäfer and staff invest in further players. Three “dead-weight-players” Leipzig must move include Timo Werner, André Silva, and Eljif Elmas. Sesko, Loïs Openda, and Xavi Simons also remain candidates for sale.

GGFN | Peter Weis