Why Newcastle remain hopeful over Sesko – and what it means for Isak ...Middle East

This has to be “moving week” in Newcastle United’s hunt for a new striker.

That is the view inside the club, where the intention this week is to inject new urgency into a flagging summer transfer window now the first team have returned from their pre-season tour of the Far East where football was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

There simply aren’t enough goals in the squad at the moment and with Alexander Isak unlikely to play a single minute in pre-season before the Premier League kick-off – with his future in considerable uncertainty – the intention is to sign a new striker by the time they travel to Aston Villa in a fortnight.

A bid nearing £70m for Benjamin Sesko last week was a statement of intent and an attempt to force the issue while Manchester United get their ducks in a row on the Slovenia international.

But Newcastle, yet to hear Sesko’s intentions from his agent Elvis Basanovic despite a series of detailed presentations on where the striker would fit in at St James’ Park, are mindful of talk in recruitment circles that he favours a move to Old Trafford.

That is why work has already begun on alternative targets.

Newcastle still intend to add a minimum of three players before next month’s transfer deadline: a right-sided centre-back, a midfielder and at least one striker.

With work going on on the first two positions – it is understood further checks have been carried out on Coventry City’s Jack Rudoni as a possible Sean Longstaff replacement – it is the search for a new striker that has become the most complicated piece of the jigsaw.

To recap: an ambitious Plan A was to bring in a young forward who could play across the front line and had a high ceiling of potential to replace Callum Wilson.

But Joao Pedro opted for Chelsea, following the route another target Liam Delap took.

Plan B centred on Hugo Ekitike, envisaging the forward as someone to compliment Alexander Isak in the 2025-26 season before taking on a frontline role if he – as expected – departed the following summer.

But when Ekitike signed for Liverpool instead, the plan then pivoted to a more short-term fix.

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Yoane Wissa, who scored 19 goals for Brentford last season, became the top target but the Bees, fresh from selling Bryan Mbeumo, won’t sanction his departure unless they bring in a Premier League-ready replacement.

Of that there are “no guarantees”, The i Paper has been told.

Indeed, it can be revealed that Brentford’s stance on Wissa remains unchanged, despite claims over the weekend that they were becoming more open to selling the forward.

Newcastle value Wissa at £30m and a deal could still be done, but time is ebbing away on that one.

So what plan are Newcastle’s beleaguered owners on now? And how does Sesko fit into it?

Truth be told, Newcastle remain hopeful rather than expectant on Sesko.

One source close to the situation has told The i Paper that Manchester United is his preferred destination and a deal could be agreed quickly if the Red Devils – as expected – lodge a bid.

But that hasn’t been communicated directly to Newcastle, where their initial proposal seems to have been met with enthusiasm.

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The intention – in theory at least – would be for Sesko to join Isak in the squad for next season.

But it would also open the door for Newcastle to go down a different route: cashing in on a big enough Liverpool bid for unsettled Isak, adding another striker and then using the financial headroom to make significant signings elsewhere.

That hope, which Isak’s camp seem curiously confident about, remains very much in the balance and what is certain is that landing Wissa or brokering a deal for an alternative like Ollie Watkins wouldn’t be enough on its own for Newcastle to soften their stance on Isak.

Sources have always been adamant that they would need two strikers before considering a sale, and even then it would only be if Liverpool matched their valuation of close to £150m.

Others inside Newcastle are even more steadfast that Isak will remain at St James’ Park, but if the striker agitates enough for the move, it will make that position difficult to hold.

Newcastle have left a path open for Isak to be reintegrated but Eddie Howe struck the right note when he said the striker would have to “earn” the right to return to training.

Only one thing is guaranteed in this messy and complex situation: Newcastle’s under-fire recruitment team cannot afford to let another week pass them by.

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