BENJAMIN SESKO will not be pushing for a summer move to Newcastle United as he feels he would benefit from spending another full season with Red Bull Salzburg.

Having been forced to recalibrate their transfer targets in the last couple of weeks, Newcastle’s recruitment team have honed in Sesko, who is regarded as one of the most exciting teenage attacking talents in Europe.

The 19-year-old forward joined Salzburg in 2019, and scored 21 goals in the Austrian second tier during a loan spell with FC Liefering in the 2020-21 season.

Sesko, who is a tall, mobile centre-forward standing at 6ft 4ins, returned to the Red Bull Arena last season and claimed 11 goals from 37 appearances. He played for Salzburg in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and helped them claim the Austrian title, ensuring there will be more Champions League football this season.

He became Slovenia’s youngest international goalscorer last year and has already been capped 13 times by his country, and while his development remains at an extremely early stage, he has been likened in Austria to Erling Haaland, who also spent time with Salzburg before bursting to prominence with Borussia Dortmund and now Manchester City.

Eddie Howe is keen to sign a forward and a wide player before the transfer window closes, and with deals for the likes of Moussa Diaby, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak having collapsed, the Magpies head coach is willing to consider youngsters who have the potential to progress and improve over the next few seasons.

Sesko certainly fits that bill, and the Newcastle hierarchy have made a number of inquiries about the teenager’s potential availability.

However, Salzburg are reluctant to lose the youngster, and sources on the continent claim Sesko, whose chief representative was on Tyneside earlier this week, is not particularly keen to leave his current employers and head overseas at such a pivotal stage of his development.

Salzburg’s reluctance to do a deal this summer stems from the fact that they have also lost one of their star forwards, Karim Adeyemi, to Borussia Dortmund and do not want to have to replace another centre-forward.

Sesko, whose current contract runs to 2026, is aware that a host of European clubs have been tracking him, with the likes of Dortmund, Bayern Munich and AC Milan all having been linked with a possible move further down the line. Mindful of that interest, the teenager would rather sit tight this summer than commit to a move that would commit him to new employers for a number of seasons.

Speaking to Austrian media outlet Kronen Zeitung earlier this month, Sesko said: “That (a transfer) won’t happen. I’ll definitely stay with Red Bull Salzburg for the whole season – I really like being here.”

Newcastle are being frustrated on multiple fronts at the moment as Leeds United have spelled out their determination to hold on to Jack Harrison.

As revealed in The Northern Echo earlier this month, Leeds are adamant they will not accept less than £35m for Harrison, having already sanctioned the departure of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha this summer.

The Northern Echo:

Newcastle are understood to be willing to pay around £25m for Harrison, who is contracted to Elland Road until the summer of 2024, but the Leeds hierarchy are adamant they falls well below their valuation of the attacking midfielder.

Having been unwilling to become embroiled in a protracted bidding war for either Diaby or Isak, there appears little chance of Newcastle’s ownership group caving in and meeting Leeds’ financial demands for Harrison.

Another Magpies departure should be confirmed soon, with Dwight Gayle having agreed the terms of a switch to Championship side Stoke City.

Gayle is set to join Stoke on a permanent basis, with Newcastle having agreed to waive a transfer fee in order to get the 32-year-old’s reported £40,000-a-week wages off their books.

The veteran striker has spoken to a number of different Championship clubs this summer, but Stoke appear to be the only side that have been willing to meet his financial requirements.