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Benjamin Sesko is reportedly a target for Manchester United, with the RB Leipzig striker being heavily linked with a £60million move to Old Trafford this summer
Signing a player who draws comparisons to Erling Haaland is one thing, but bringing in someone many rate even higher? That's a tantalising prospect.
For Manchester United, that dream could turn into reality if they manage to sign Benjamin Sesko this summer. The RB Leipzig striker, currently linked with a £60million transfer to Old Trafford, was once tasked with replacing Haaland at Red Bull Salzburg - no small feat.
When Haaland burst onto the scene as a teenager, he scored 28 times in just 22 matches in Austria before earning a high-profile move to Borussia Dortmund, snubbing United in the process.
One year later, Sesko joined Salzburg with the same towering frame, explosive playing style, and lofty expectations. Given the parallels, comparisons were unavoidable. And while he didn't quite replicate Haaland's goal-scoring output, Sesko nonetheless turned heads - and some would argue, made an even more lasting impression.
"Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy," the Slovenian said back in 2021. "They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is.
"My team-mates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I'm better than him!"
Although Sesko's development hasn't mirrored Haaland's meteoric rise, a move to the Premier League this summer would come at the same age the Norwegian made his own leap. Arsenal appeared poised to snap up the 22-year-old earlier in the window but ultimately turned their attention to Viktor Gyokeres.
Liverpool and Chelsea also kept tabs on Sesko, but after landing Hugo Ekitike and Liam Delap respectively, both clubs have seemingly exited the race. This has left United with a clearer path to negotiate, though a deal is far from guaranteed.
The Red Devils have already committed £133m on attacking additions this summer, including Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. Given lingering concerns about their financial situation, any further activity must be weighed carefully.
There's also the challenge of persuading Sesko. Without Champions League football to offer, United trail behind several domestic and European rivals. And with Sesko under contract at Leipzig until 2029, there's no immediate urgency for either party to act.
United are also counting on the possibility that Sesko, who netted 21 goals in all competitions last season, may have reconsidered his stance since rejecting Old Trafford in 2023 in favor of Leipzig - a move he later explained was driven by concerns about United's playing style.
"The thing is, I wasn't really involved in these kinds of conversations [about which club I would sign for]. But I think it was better to come [to RB Leipzig]," Sesko admitted in 2024.
"It was very important for me to go to a place that plays a similar style of football. I already knew what I had to do and didn't have to go through a whole learning process again."
Now, with a new manager in the dugout, an overhauled forward line, and a renewed sense of direction, United are betting that both their timing and vision will be more appealing than it was before.
Should they succeed in convincing Sesko that Old Trafford is not just a stage for the next Haaland, but where he can become the one and only Sesko, it could usher in a transformative chapter, one defined not by parallels or past reputations, but by individual brilliance realised in red.
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