Manchester United have trimmed their striking options to two, with Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko emerging as their main targets. But which one would INEOS prefer to sign?
The Red Devils are in the process of building a new-look attack. They are already two-thirds into the project, having acquired Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. However, their attacking trident remains incomplete without a top-notch striker, as the out-of-sorts Rasmus Hojlund has seemingly lost his finishing touch and might need some time to rediscover his best form.
Therefore, the management is now primarily focused on landing a new centre-forward.
Man Utd trim down attacking options to two
According to several sources in the British media, including The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell and the Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst, Man Utd have now limited their choices to just two in Watkins and Sesko, while other candidates like Nicolas Jackson have been ruled out of the race.
Hence, the question that poses itself is which one would be United’s preferred option? The 29-year-old Englishman from Aston Villa, or the up-and-coming Slovenian who made a name for himself at RB Leipzig.
While there hasn’t been an explicit answer, several factors indicate that Watkins could be the favourite in MUFC’s book.
Three reasons why Man United prefer Watkins over Sesko
First of all, Sky Sport DE journalist Florian Plettenberg reported that week that Ruben Amorim would prefer to sign a striker with Premier League experience. Hence, he should look no further than the Aston Villa star who has 184 EPL appearances in his repertoire, with 75 goals and 36 assists. On the other hand, Sesko has yet to step foot in a Premier League contest.
Secondly, Whitwell talks about the pre-existing relationship between Watkins and Mbeumo, dating back to their time at Brentford in 2019/20. The two attackers hit 40 goals between them during that Championship campaign.
| Stats in 2024/25 | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Ollie Watkins | 54 | 17 | 14 |
| Benjamin Sesko | 45 | 21 | 6 |
Finally, Man Utd believe the Villans would be willing to sell Watkins for £40-45 million despite publicly stating that the striker is not for sale. On the other hand, Leipzig are valuing Sesko at £75 million.
Therefore, we might be able to deduce from these factors that Man United would rather sign the England international than the younger Slovenian.
