Watkins Eyes Man Utd Move as £78m Sesko Bid Looms

OLLIE WATKINS is ready to step into the void if Man Utd are unable to lure Benjamin Sesko to the club.

Newcastle have launched a £78m bid to try to beat United to the Slovenia international , with RB Leipzig now keen to do business with the Toon.

2 Ollie Watkins is keen on a move to Manchester United Credit: EPA

2 United are deciding whether to launch a bid for Benjamin Sesko Credit: Getty

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And there is growing scepticism in Germany that PSR-stricken Man Utd will come in with an offer to compete with Eddie Howe's side, who have the advantage of being able to attract a nine-figure fee for Alexander Isak.

SunSport understands that following interest from Arsenal in January, Watkins feels the time is right to leave Villa Park.

And his wishes may overlap with Aston Villa's, who also face a battle to keep their summer spending within PSR limits.

The Villans were fined by Uefa earlier this summer for breaching the European body's financial rules.

Unai Emery had been keen to sell the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey to meet the Premier League's requirements, but have yet to receive the interest they had hoped for.

As a result, a bid of between £40m and £50m could be enough to prize Watkins from Villa.

This would also have the bonus of giving United funds to spare to solve their other major problem position - holding midfield .

But a move for Watkins is not inevitable if Man Utd are unable to attract Sesko.

SunSport understands that Ruben Amorim is looking at two strikers playing in his home country of Portugal .

Samu Aghehowa scored 27 goals for Porto last season after agreeing a deal with Chelsea which fell through over an ankle injury and image rights.

And Benfica's Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored 30 goals last term, made a name for himself in England by scoring twice at Wembley as Greece nabbed a shock 2-1 win against the Three Lions.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano claims that Juventus have offered Dusan Vlahovic to United if the Red Devils are unable to sign Sesko.