Man Utd ‘hurt’ Barcelona after completing transfer for their top target

Manchester United beat Newcastle to the signing of Benjamin Sesko in a £74million transfer deal but Barcelona were also targeting the RB Leipzig star for next summer

Manchester United have forced ‘hurt’ Barcelona to alter their transfer plans by completing the signing of Benjamin Sesko for £74million. Sesko, 22, joined the Red Devils last week on a five-year contract, keeping him at Old Trafford until 2030.

The Slovenian is considered one of the best young strikers in Europe, having spent the last two seasons developing with RB Leipzig. Sesko scored 39 goals in 87 appearances for the German club, proving himself in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

Amid their search for a new striker, United made him their top target and beat Newcastle in a fiercely-contested race for his signature. But it turns out that Newcastle weren’t the only ones to miss out.

Barcelona were in fact considering a move for Sesko next summer. Catalan outlet Sport claim that Barca’s management are particularly hurt by the 22-year-old’s switch to Old Trafford.

Sesko is highly rated by Barcelona sporting director Deco, who’s working on a signing a successor to Robert Lewandowski in the summer of 2026. Lewandowski, who turns 37 later this month, has entered the final year of his contract with Barca and is likely to leave at the end of this season.

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Barcelona chiefs were well aware that Sesko wasn’t guaranteed to remain at Leipzig for another year, so they weren’t taken by surprise when United swooped. It’s added that the La Liga chiefs weren’t in a position to challenge the Red Devils for his signature due to their well-documented financial woes.

Now Barca will focus on alternative targets, having previously been linked with Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak – who could also be changing clubs this summer – and Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, who signed a mammoth 10-year contract extension in January.

Haaland is reportedly Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s dream signing, telling TV3 in May: “Nothing is impossible. But we’re not thinking about that right now. He also just signed a new contract.”

Who should Barcelona target as an alternative? Let us know your pick in the comments section.

The Blaugrana head into the new campaign with Lewandowski as their only recognised No.9. The Pole will miss Saturday’s opening game against Mallorca due to injury, leaving the door open for Marcus Rashford, Ferran Torres or Dani Olmo to fill the void.

Rashford is on loan from United, who’ve given Barca the option to sign him permanently for £26m at the end of the season. Torres was an able deputy last term, scoring 19 goals.

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