Manchester United are reportedly exploring striker options this summer, with Benjamin Sesko facing potential competition for his place as the club’s number one forward.
Sesko joined United on a £74m deal last summer from RB Leipzig and managed a creditable return of 11 Premier League goals and 12 in all competitions during his debut season.
The 23-year-old Slovenian showed glimpses of his potential under Michael Carrick, particularly in the second half of the campaign after overcoming an injury-hit start to life at Old Trafford.
However, United’s well-documented history of strikers failing to build on impressive debut seasons looms large over Sesko as he prepares for his second year at the club.
No player has scored 20 or more top-flight goals in a season for the Red Devils since Robin van Persie in 2012/13, a damning statistic that underlines the scale of the problem managers have faced.
Anthony Martial, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, Edinson Cavani, and Rasmus Hojlund all followed a similar pattern of promise giving way to disappointment in subsequent seasons.
Hojlund, whom Sesko replaced, scored ten Premier League goals in his debut campaign before netting just four league goals in a forgettable second season at the club.
With Joshua Zirkzee attracting interest from clubs in Italy, United could be in the market to bring in a new striker who provides stern competition to Sesko heading into 2026/27.
Reports have indicated that Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins is among the options under consideration, having been Ruben Amorim’s preferred striking target last summer before the move failed to materialise.
The i Paper has since corroborated those claims while also noting that Dusan Vlahovic has been mentioned as a potential option following the Serbian’s departure from Juventus.
Vlahovic is available on a free transfer after his contract in Turin expired, making him an attractive proposition for the INEOS regime at a time when transfer funds may need to be allocated carefully elsewhere.
The 26-year-old struggled with injuries last season, starting only 11 Serie A games, yet still managed to score seven goals at a rate of one every 139 minutes during that limited time.
By comparison, Sesko scored once every 149 minutes in the Premier League last season, meaning Vlahovic edges him on that particular efficiency metric despite playing in a far less competitive environment.
Standing at six foot three with a powerful left foot, Vlahovic has scored 68 goals in 168 appearances for Juventus, having previously netted 49 times in 108 games during his time at Fiorentina.
From the start of 2020/21 through to the end of 2024/25, Vlahovic scored at least ten Serie A goals in every single season, with his peak stretch yielding 45 league goals across 2020/21 and 2021/22 combined.
Italy great Luca Toni has previously described Vlahovic as “one of the best strikers in the world,” a ringing endorsement that highlights just how highly regarded the Serbian remains among those who know the game best.
Vlahovic’s Champions League record further strengthens his case, with the striker having scored nine goals in just 20 appearances in Europe’s premier club competition.
Sesko, by contrast, has scored only six goals from 28 Champions League outings, suggesting Vlahovic carries a more potent threat at the highest level of European football.
Sesko himself netted 29 goals in 79 games for Red Bull Salzburg before adding 39 in 87 during his time in Germany, a solid but not spectacular record when held up against the Serbian’s numbers.
With United crying out for more firepower, Vlahovic on a free transfer represents a significant opportunity for the club to add proven elite-level goalscoring threat alongside the developing Sesko.