Fabrizio Romano confirms £55m player is not signing for Newcastle United this summer

One of Newcastle United’s options to replace Callum Wilson is no longer available this summer.

There is a lot of speculation that Callum Wilson could leave St James’ Park this summer, with the 32-year-old open to a new challenge away from Tyneside.

That could be ideal for Newcastle United, who are under pressure to sell someone before June 30th due to PSR.

Whether or not Eddie Howe will let him go remains to be seen, as the Toon boss has been very open about his desire to keep Wilson. However, the hierarchy feel different, believing now is the time to cash in on the ageing number nine, whose contract expires in 2025.

If Newcastle do decide to move Wilson on, they will need to sign a replacement. That will be easier said than done, with strikers as good as Wilson set to cost a lot of money.

And now one of the Magpies’ expensive options is no longer available.

Newcastle United linked with Benjamin Sesko

Benjamin Sesko has been on Newcastle’s radar for a couple of years now, with Toon officials trying to sign him before they brought in Alexander Isak.

Since then, Sesko has continued to be a Toon target. He has been linked with a move to Tyneside heading into the summer of 2024, with 21-year-old having a release clause in his RB Leipzig contract worth £55million.

That would have made him an expensive addition, but now that release clause will no longer be available – despite rumours suggesting that Arsenal would activate it late last month.

Sesko makes decision about his future

A move to Arsenal appeared to be on the cards for Sesko, but that is no longer the case.

That is because transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who broke the news about Lloyd Kelly’s agreement with Newcastle, has stated that the Slovenian striker is staying with RB Leipzig.

He wrote on X: “Benjamin Šeško has decided to STAY at RB Leipzig and sign new contract on improved terms! Decision made for talented striker, similar to what Haaland decided back in the days at BVB. Šeško will stay at Leipzig with a new gentlemen agreement for future exit.”

This could be good news for Newcastle

While it is disappointing to know that Newcastle will not be signing Sesko this summer, a deal never felt likely in all honesty.

In fact, Sesko’s decision could help Newcastle. He will be available in the future, possibly at a time when the Magpies are in a better position to buy him. He would have cost too much money this summer, while Newcastle did not have the lure of European football.

That could change in 12 months. In contrast, Arsenal need a top level striker this summer. That means they will need to identify a new target, which would likely mean they have no need for Sesko when he is available once again.

Of course, Newcastle themselves may need to sign a striker too this summer. But Eddie Howe’s need is not as great as Mikel Arteta’s, given the fact he has Alexander Isak.

This is all hypothetical, but the fact that Sesko still hasn’t left RB Leipzig has to be considered a positive, given the fact that a departure will happen at some point in the future.

There is still a chance that Sesko could end up wearing black and white some day…