Man Utd line up move to sign “one of the best CFs in Europe”

A creditable first season in English football saw Benjamin Sesko finish off as Manchester United‘s joint-top scorer in the Premier League and in all competitions, overcoming a slow start to net 12 times following his £74m move from RB Leipzig.

Brought in to replace 2023 arrival, Rasmus Hojlund, the question does remain as to whether the Slovenian truly is an upgrade, with there certainly similarities to Hojlund’s own first season at Old Trafford.

Back in 2023/24, the Dane also topped the scoring charts at the club, although, like Sesko, he had to navigate a muted start, taking until Boxing Day to net his first league goal, before scoring in six successive league games in early 2024.

What followed was a mere four top-flight goals the following campaign, prior to being swiftly carted off to Napoli last summer.

Hopefully, the 23-year-old Sesko doesn’t suffer a similar fate, yet there does still appear a distinct need for a more experienced striker to compete with him.

Man Utd searching to sign new striker for fourth summer in a row

It was Hojlund in 2023 and Sesko in 2025, with Joshua Zirkzee arriving in between, the Red Devils prioritising young, up-and-coming strikers for three years in a row.

Not since the days of Robin van Persie in 2012/13 has any United striker, or any United player for that matter, hit 20 league goals or more, the lack of a consistent, clinical number nine having long been an issue at Old Trafford.

With Zirkzee expected to join Hojlund out the door this summer, the need for a new number nine is set to increase further, particularly ahead of the return of Champions League football.

With that in mind, Caught Offside are reporting that INEOS have drawn up a five-man shortlist in that regard, a raft of targets that includes Crystal Palace talisman, Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen is said to be the ‘dream’ target, although Mateta is among the more likely or cost-effective options, as well as having the added bonus of his proven Premier League experience.

Reportedly a target for United too back in January, the 28-year-old could fetch in the region of £40m, with just a year left to run on his deal at Selhurst Park.

Mateta could be the perfect upgrade on Sesko this summer

History won’t be kind to Hojlund at United, with just 26 goals in 95 games, although the Scandinavian did, for a brief moment, look like a superstar in the making, memorably running Gabriel and William Saliba ragged on his Premier League debut, while also netting that stunning, solo goal against Galatasaray in the Champions League.

There’s been a similar feel to Sesko at times this season, be it his late winner against Everton, or his last-gasp effort at home to Fulham, yet like the man before him, there’s been a concerning lack of consistency.

Of his 11 league goals, five came in just a seven-game run across February and March, with his debut campaign, like Hojlund, having been somewhat impacted by injury.

The towering marksman is a talent, undoubtedly, but if United are looking for a sure thing, Mateta might well be the best bet, the Frenchman seemingly in his prime amid a fruitful few years in south London.

Part of France’s World Cup squad, it’s been a remarkable rise for a player who initially struggled after joining Palace in 2021, scoring just eight league goals across his first two-and-a-half seasons.

Since 2023/24, however, the 6 foot 4 sensation has come alive, largely in part due to departing manager, Oliver Glasner, scoring 16, 14 and 12 goals, respectively, across the last three campaigns.

For comparison, including his time at RB Leipzig, Sesko is just behind having scored 14 and 13 Bundesliga goals across 2023/24 and 2024/25, before adding 11 in Manchester.

Mateta’s not perfect, as a tally of 20 ‘big chances’ missed last season speaks too, but on the flip side, he does so often manufacture openings for himself, doing so in a side that have typically adopted a pragmatic approach in their 3-4-2-1 set-up.

His goal conversion rate of 19% was also ahead of Sesko in 2025/26 (18%), while he also scored twice as part of Palace’s successful Conference League run too.

The former Mainz man is a physical, powerful focal point, a man who seems to relish his talismanic status with the Eagles. In the view of Paul Merson, he’s a “much better player” than United’s number 30.

Sesko, still just 23, might get there soon enough, but Mateta already appears to be the finished article, lauded as “one of the best strikers in Europe” by a certain Wayne Rooney.

With Sesko still needing time to develop, bringing in an experienced upgrade for the short-term would no doubt ease the pressure on him.