Manchester United are reportedly going full steam ahead in pursuit of Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig.
But owing to the Bundesliga side’s demands, INEOS have been forced to keep alternatives ready. Randal Kolo Muani is one name doing the rounds as is that of Nick Woltemade of VfB Stuttgart.
The German enjoyed a breakthrough 24/25 season, scoring 17 goals while also registering three assists in what was his debut campaign for Stuttgart.
And naturally, that kind of form has attracted the attentions of the Red Devils, along with Newcastle while Bayern Munich remain long-term admirers.
Nick Woltemade doesn’t want the Premier League
Journalist Christian Falk has now claimed that the 23-year-old is not keen on a move to the Premier League at this stage of his career.
Instead, he wants Bayern but his parent club have proven to be a tough nut to crack. As per the report, Sebastian Hoeneß’ side have rejected a €45 million and €55 million offer from the Bavarians
The Bundesliga champions are remaining patient, as they are aware not too many other teams will submit as lucrative an offer as theirs.
With a move to United or the Magpies ruled out, Stuttgart are under pressure to accept.
“Manchester United and Newcastle had Nick Woltemade on their shortlists. However, the VfB Stuttgart striker is still focused on Bayern Munich. He doesn’t want to leave the Bundesliga at this stage.
All eyes on Bayern
“On Wednesday, there was a meeting between the Bayern bosses where they discussed how they’ll move in the window for Woltemade. There have already been two offers rejected – one of €40m [£34.5m] plus €5m and the second of €50m [£43.2m] plus €5m.
“Now they’ve decided to play on time, as they don’t want to raise their offer again. They hope Stuttgart will come back to the table, as it’s a lot of money for the club as it stands, and they can’t guarantee that another club will be prepared to pay this fee next year. So, it’s a tactic by Bayern to put pressure on Stuttgart.”
This update will not hurt United as much as it affects Newcastle. INEOS seem to be focussed on Sesko, and Woltemade was only backup.
As for Eddie Howe’s side, they have failed to land multiple priority targets, and following Sesko’s snub, even his fellow Bundesliga striker Nick Woltemade seems to arriving at a similar conclusion.
Feature image Stuart Franklin via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
