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Newcastle United’s turbulent summer transfer window reached another disappointing mark with Benjamin Sesko’s preference for Manchester United now becoming clear.

The summer has become a catalogue of missed opportunities for the Magpies.

The club’s inability to secure their primary targets has exposed deeper issues that go beyond simple bad luck in the market.

The Sesko setback represents the latest in a string of high-profile rejections that have left Eddie Howe’s squad dangerously thin ahead of their Champions League campaign.

Earlier in the window, Newcastle watched helplessly as Joao Pedro chose Chelsea, Hugo Ekitike picked Liverpool, and Bryan Mbeumo indicated his preference for Manchester United.

James Trafford, their goalkeeper target, also slipped away to Manchester City despite Newcastle’s £27 million bid.

The Magpies are in a situation where they are doing their shopping at the same places of elite clubs, but cannot seem to convince targets of their project.

For Liverpool fans, its especially frustrating watching the Geordie club fall short in the Sesko race, as the Slovenian almost certainly would have been the domino needed for Alexander Isak to move on.

But Newcastle are not giving up in the transfer market despite all the setbacks.

DaveOCKOP.com can exclusively reveal that Newcastle is expected to now turn their attention to Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.

However, it is unknown whether the Villa striker would be open to the move to St James’ Park.

The England international has been linked to Arsenal and Manchester United this summer already, but both have prioritised other options to spearhead their attack.

He signed a five-year extension in October 2023 that nearly tripled his previous salary, giving Villa significant negotiating power with three years remaining on his deal.

The England international managed 16 goals and provided 8 assists in 38 Premier League appearances in 2024/25.

At 29 years of age, Newcastle will likely be hesitant to overpay for Watkins, but Eddie Howe is desperate for a striker at this point of the summer window.

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