Manchester United were ‘offered’ the opportunity to land one ‘bargain-on-paper’ striker ahead of signing Benjamin Sesko in the summer, according to reports in Italy.
The Red Devils entered the race to sign Benjamin Sesko in August and Manchester United rivalled the interest of fellow Premier League side Newcastle in August.
Sesko had been linked with Arsenal in the summer transfer window earlier, but the Gunners ended their pursuit after landing striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.
United hijacked Newcastle’s move for Sesko and the Red Devils landed the 22-year-old Slovenian forward from German side RB Leipzig for an initial fee of £66.3m.
The Red Devils’ transfer package for the former Newcastle and Arsenal target was worth £73.7m, with United agreeing to add-ons in the Sesko deal with RB Leipzig.
United were linked with several different strikers in the summer ahead of landing Sesko, including Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, Dusan Vlahovic and Moise Kean.
Man Utd were linked with Fiorentina striker Moise Kean ahead of signing Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig
Moise Kean was subject to Manchester United’s transfer interest after the 25-year-old Italian striker’s impressive debut season at Fiorentina in the 2024-25 campaign.
The former Juventus forward netted 25 times and picked up three assists in 44 matches across all competitions for Serie A outfit Fiorentina last season.
Tutto Juve now reports that United ‘seriously considered’ Moise Kean as an option before the Red Devils turned their attention to Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko.
The Italian news outlet added that the Everton flop was seen as a ‘solid opportunity’ due to the previous release clause that Kean had in his Fiorentina contract.
Kean could have been snapped up for a £44.8m (€52m) fee in the summer window for a limited time, with his former release clause active from 1st July to 15th July.
Why has Man Utd-linked Moise Kean seen his release clause change at Fiorentina?
According to Tutto Juve, Moise Kean was a ‘real bargain on paper’ for United and the Red Devils ultimately decided against signing the Fiorentina and Italy striker.
The publication reports that United felt that it was better to pursue Sesko instead and the Red Devils opted to ‘invest heavily’ in the former RB Leipzig striker.
Kean, who arrived at Fiorentina from Juventus in 2024, has inked a new deal with the Serie A outfit and is under contract until 2029 at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.
Fabrizio Romano on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, reported in August that Kean’s deal included a “higher release clause” for the Italian forward.
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