Manchester United have made an initial offer to Red Bull Salzburg as Chelsea's Premier League rivals looks to accelerate plans to sign Blues' transfer target Benjamin Sesko.
Todd Boehly has showed he is willing to back Thomas Tuchel in the transfer market this summer after securing deals for Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Gabriel Slonina and Carney Chukwuemeka. football.london understands Chelsea have a £52.5million agreement to sign Marc Cucurella as their fifth signing, but a deal is yet to be sanctioned by Brighton.
football.london also understands Tuchel is keen to add more creativity to his squad ahead of the new season, with the Blues holding direct talks with Barcelona to sign Frenkie de Jong. The west London outfit struggled in front of goal last term and have been linked with a move for Sesko after Boehly met with the 19-year-old's representatives last week.
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According to Slovenian journalist Rok Viskovic, via the Express, United have now made a concrete offer for Sesko, but face competition from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. United will be without Anthony Martial to start the season whilst Cristiano Ronaldo is still searching for an exit from Old Trafford, having been previously linked with a shock move to Stamford Bridge.
United are looking to wrap up a deal for Sesko quickly as to avoid a bidding war with the Blues and Ligue 1 champions, having formed a professional relationship with Sesko's agent Elvis Basanovic. The talented forward has impressed in pre-season after netting the winner in a 1-0 victory against Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Boehly has outlined his intentions to plan for the future after the signings of Slonina and Chukwuemeka, with the Blues also being linked with a move for Inter Milan starlet Cesare Casadei. Sesko would fit into those plans with Chelsea keen to add more attacking quality to their squad after the exit of Romelu Lukaku on-loan to Inter.
football.london understands the club are open to letting Timo Werner leave this summer, with a return to RB Leipzig the most likely solution for the German forward. Should Werner follow Lukaku out of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will need to find a replacement to support Kai Havertz and Sterling in attack with the transfer window deadline edging closer.
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