Manchester United have moved to the front of the queue in the pursuit of Ryan Sessegnon having opened discussions with Fulham over his signature.
According to Sky Sports News, United have stepped up their interest in the 18-year-old and are looking to beat long-term admirers Tottenham Hotspur as well as the likes of Juventus, PSG and RBG Leipzig in the race to buy him.
Sessegnon is entering the final 12-months of his deal at Craven Cottage and is reluctant to sign a new deal following Fulham’s relegation to the Championship after one season in the Premier League.
Consequently, Fulham accept that they will have to move the England U21 international on this summer rather than lose him for nothing next year and he is believed to be valued at around £40m.
United’s interest in Sessegnon follows on from their enquiry for Swansea City’s 21-year-old winger Daniel James over the weekend which suggests that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on the lookout for young, homegrown players this summer.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, West Ham’s Declan Rice and Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Crystal Palace are other players to have been linked with moves to Old Trafford in recent months. The club are also believed to be keen on Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff.
Sessegnon has long been touted as one of English football’s best up-and-coming talents and although he endured an indifferent first season in the Premier League, he still managed two goals and six assists in 35 matches.
A report from the Evening Standard on Tuesday claimed that Sessegnon’s preference is to join Spurs as he is keen to remain in London, play in the Champions League and work with Mauricio Pochettino given his track record with young British talent.
Spurs had been planning to wait until after their Champions League final against Liverpool on June 1 to initiate contact with Fulham over Sessegnon, however, they may have to act sooner following United’s enquiry.
Sessegnon was named in the Championship Team of the Year in both 2016-17 and 2017-18, scoring 15 goals in the latter campaign to fire Fulham to promotion.
In total, he has scored 25 goals in 115 games for the club.
