Ollie Watkins handed transfer hope despite Man Utd prioritising Benjamin Sesko

Manchester United have launched their opening bid for Benjamin Sesko but could be outmuscled by Newcastle, who are willing to pay RB Leipzig more money up front

Ollie Watkins has been handed a boost in his hopes of joining Manchester United, despite their bid for Benjamin Sesko. Watkins, 29, is second on United's shortlist behind RB Leipzig striker Sesko, who the Red Devils are willing to pay a total of £73.8million for.

United's offer matches that of Newcastle, who are willing to pay Leipzig more of the fee up front. That could see Ruben Amorim's side miss out and go back to the negotiating table for Watkins, who was their initial priority.

According to the Sun, the England international feels that the time is right to leave Villa Park after five seasons, having been the subject of a bid from Arsenal in January. Villa turned down their £60m offer before Watkins finished the campaign with 17 goals in all competitions.

The report adds that given Villa's PSR concerns, a bid in the region of £40m to £50m could be enough to prise him away. That could tempt the Red Devils, who'd be able to use the money saved from buying Sesko on another problem area, defensive midfield.

What's more, Villa have agreed a deal to sign a new striker. Evann Guessand is set to arrive from Nice for an initial £26m plus £4.3m in add-ons.

Although United believe that they're Sesko's preferred destination after years of interest, Leipzig are said to be keen on doing business with Newcastle because of the structure of their offer, boosting Watkins' chances of getting his move to Old Trafford. The Slovenian is currently training away from Leipzig's first-team squad as the race to sign him hots up.

Watkins isn't the only alternative for Amorim, though. Porto star Samu Aghehowa, who was previously a target for Newcastle and Villa, and Benfica's Vangelis Pavlidis are both on their shortlist, while it's claimed in Italy that Juventus have offered the Red Devils the chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic for a cut-price fee.

Should Manchester United sign Ollie Watkins instead of Benjamin Sesko? Have your say in the comments section.

There's also the option of keeping Rasmus Hojlund, who United would be willing to sell for £30m. Speaking after the Dane scored during their 4-1 win against Bournemouth in pre-season, Amorim hailed: "I'm really happy with Rasmus, I don't know what is going to happen until the end of the market.

"The important thing is the strikers who are here are working hard they are improving and helping the team. That is the most important thing.

"The important thing is people focus on the goals, we suffered from a lack of goals but I think not just the goals but the way he connects the play.

"Every time we kick the ball when we are pressed, the ability of him to hold the ball and connect the support is helping us a lot to play better. And we are playing better because he is playing better."