Benjamin Sesko has been linked with a move to Newcastle United for some time. The Magpies remain in the market for a new centre forward as they bid to provide more support for Alexander Isak.

Callum Wilson has endured a torrid season with injuries, making just four Premier League appearances. He started the campaign with a back issue and has been out for the last five weeks with a hamstring problem. William Osula has instead acted as back-up, having arrived from Sheffield United for £10million in the summer.

But if Newcastle want to challenge for major honours and at the top of the league, they might have to sign another world-class striker. Isak has been in sensational form of late, scoring 11 goals and adding three assists in his last eight top-flight matches. It's argued that the 25-year-old is the best forward in the division right now.

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Should Isak get injured - something that has happened on a couple of occasions since arriving from Real Sociedad in 2022 - Newcastle do not have anyone even of similar note to replace him. Osula hasn't disappointed when called upon, netting his first goal against Bromley in the FA Cup on Sunday, but he is not on Isak's level.

This is where Sesko could come in. The 21-year-old Slovenia international was first linked with a move to Newcastle two-and-a-half years ago after impressing for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. At the time, it was reported that Sesko's agent Elvis Basanovic was spotted on Tyneside, increasing speculation on the striker's future.

The Magpies instead swooped for Isak, but there is a chance that now Sesko could join him at St James' Park and create one of the world's most feared front pairing. Sesko has scored 13 goals in 25 matches for RB Leipzig this season and is in a rich vein of form, netting in each of his last five Bundesliga appearances.

Unfortunately, Newcastle are not the only team that has been tipped to sign him. Rumours have intensified over a move to Arsenal for the Slovenian, with Mikel Arteta's side searching for a new striker. Sesko, who signed a new five-year contract with Leipzig in June, has a gentleman's agreement that could see him leave this summer.

Now, Basanovic, his representative, has spoken about his future - and revealed that a future move will only be considered if it is beneficial for the player's development. He told Slovenian TV channel Arena Sport: "Benjamin Sesko is really shining, I think this is a phase of development.

"I think we have already shown in the past that we are sticking to the development path, that we are not looking at current form. Our decision regarding the next step, the transfer, has never and will not stem from current form, but from who can offer Sesko the best platform for his development.

"We can see that our decision was correct, six months later he is already a better striker than he was last season. What he lacks is experience. We must not forget that he is only 21 years old, so we did not want him to go to the Premier League in the summer.

"There were concrete options, but we consciously decided to stay in the Bundesliga to give him time to progress and develop into a better striker."

When asked on what price it would take for Leipzig to consider selling, Basanovic added: "I don't think Leipzig would be satisfied with any compensation at the moment, Leipzig does not want to sell Benjamin Sesko because they really value him immensely."

Meanwhile, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, the new Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, issued his verdict on Sesko in a press conference earlier this week. He said: "My plans for him to score more goals like this for us.

"I've know him for a while, I knew him at Salzburg, I was thinking where did they get this player. I have no plans for him, don't get it wrong, I will not show up at training and tell him what to do.

"I don't have to tell Marco Rose what he will do, he wants to help him score as much as somehow possible. He has space for improvement, he will say the same, an incredible skillset and potential. Happy to have him."