Benjamin Sesko to suffer immediate Man Utd blow as INEOS make transfer breakthrough

Benjamin Sesko is on the verge of completing a blockbuster £73.6million transfer to Manchester United after the Red Devils reportedly secured a breakthrough in talks with RB Leipzig. They will pay an initial £66.3m and then a further £7.3m in achievable add-ons to complete a drastic attacking overhaul, alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

But the Slovenian forward may not get everything his way at Old Trafford, as he competes with the likes of Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund. The 22-year-old has been monitored for several years by a host of Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, who Sesko decided to turn down in order to head to Manchester.

Sesko was a talismanic figure at Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg before them, forcing the European elite to take notice of the tall and powerful number 30 that was dominating in Austria and then Germany.

However, that exact same scenario won't be taking place in M16. That is because his favoured 30 playing shirt has already been taken by a fellow new arrival, left-back Diego Leon.

The 18-year-old Paraguayan joined from Cerro Porteno last month and made a big impression in pre-season. He is considered the back-up to Patrick Dorgu for the coming season, with fellow youngster Harry Amass allowed to leave on loan as a result of Leon's immediate impact.

As a result, Sesko won't get his preferred shirt number at United. He did previously wear #21 at Liefering, however, and that number is currently occupied by Antony. The Brazilian is up for sale though and could yet vacate that for Sesko.

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Should he wish to continue the tradition of United forwards wearing the iconic #9 shirt, he will have to wait for Hojlund to depart.

The Dane is likely to make way for Sesko, despite his public stance of wanting to stay and fight for his shirt. United will consider bids in the region of £40m for Hojlund.

"The most important [thing] for me is to keep working hard and stay focused and then we'll see what happens," Hojlund said after United's 4-1 pre-season win over Bournemouth. "My plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot.

"Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me. I'm more than ready."

Hojlund, himself a £72m signing from Atalanta two years ago, impressed Ruben Amorim against Premier League opposition.

"I'm really happy with Rasmus, but I don't know what is going to happen until the end of the market," Amorim added.

"The important thing is that Rasmus is scoring goals. He's connecting really well with the team. He's improving. 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."

That responsibility is set to fall on Sesko, who is flying to the UK to put the finishing touches on a transfer, though his shirt number is yet to be determined.