Manchester United have made some bold attacking moves in the summer transfer window and their pursuit of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko threatens to leave Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee out in the cold.
The Red Devils took action to upgrade their front line by bringing in Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. A central striker now appears to be at the top of their shopping list.
United have reportedly opened talks with Sesko's people as well as Leipzig directly, edging ahead of Newcastle United in the race for the Slovenian's signature and diverting the club's attention away from a futile chase for Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa.
Hojlund, 22, has struggled in front of goal since his £64 million move from Atalanta two years ago, netting 14 goals in 62 Premier League appearances and lacking the knack of being clinical in big moments.
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The Danish striker made a case in his own favour on Wednesday, opening the scoring in Man Utd's 4-1 pre-season friendly win over Bournemouth in Chicago and hitting the mixed zone with a vengeance after the match.
"The most important [thing] for me is just to keep working hard and stay focused and then obviously we'll see what happens," Hojlund told reporters.
"My plan is very clear and it's for me to stay and fight for my spot whatever happens."
Despite his early goal and purposeful words, Hojlund's future was not made any clearer when head coach Ruben Amorim addressed the media at Soldier Field.
"I’m really happy with Rasmus but I don’t know what is going to happen until the end of the market," Amorim said in his post-match press conference.
"The important thing is that Rasmus is scoring goals. He’s connecting really well with the team. He’s improving.
"Again, I don’t know what is going to happen until the market is closed. We suffered a lot because of the lack of goals last season."
Man Utd need a striker who can maximise their other attacking signings
Adding Mbeumo and Cunha should add creativity as well as goals in the forthcoming season but it's very clear that United are trying to sign a striker who can be relied upon to take his chances.
Both Hojlund and Zirkzee underperformed against their expected goals (xG) values in 2024-25, having outscored them the season before.
While Sesko's game is far from complete, his efficiency in front of goal makes him an attractive prospect for a club with expensive new acquisitions in attacking roles.
The 22-year-old has scored 27 goals in 64 appearances in the Bundesliga.
Topics: Manchester United, Rasmus Hojlund, Ruben Amorim, Football, Premier League
Chris Nee