Liverpool want Benjamin Sesko

Liverpool have been named among the admirers of Red Bull Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko, according to reports from Spain.

The lowdown: Rise to stardom

Signed by Salzburg in 2019 for £2.25million, Sesko has gone from strength to strength in Austria and enjoyed a stellar spell at FC Liefering, scoring 22 goals and providing six assists in 44 appearances across two loan stints.

Despite his tender years, the 19-year-old Slovenia international has already now established himself as a mainstay in the senior XI for both club and country, attracting interest from Newcastle, Manchester United, Wolves, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig in the process.

Now, a fresh report from Spain has thrown some additional names into the mix as potential suitors for Sesko, including Liverpool…

The latest: ‘Klopp is in love’

As per a Spanish source, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Man United and Chelsea are all keen on the 13-cap star.

It’s claimed that the Reds are among those who ‘want’ and have ‘shown interest’ in Sesko, forcing Salzburg to place a €65million (£54million) price tag on the head of their frontman.

The report also states that Jurgen Klopp ‘is in love’ with the hitman having watched the teenager described as ‘one of the fastest players on the planet’ score the only goal of the game in last week’s pre-season defeat in Austria.

The verdict: One for the future

Although there can be no bad time to sign the hottest properties such as Sesko, after landing Darwin Nunez this summer it seems highly unlikely that FSG would sanction another major expenditure on a striker so soon.

Instead, the Reds will likely retain a watching brief on the 6 foot 3 marksmen and perhaps hope no major transfer is forthcoming with a view to making a move in the future, potentially after enjoying further development and scoring many more goals.

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Last season, Sesko – who once clocked a staggering in-game speed of 36.11 km/h in 2021 – netted ten times and registered another seven assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for Salzburg.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Slovenian speedster has made a lightning start to the 2022/23 campaign, scoring twice and setting up a teammate on one occasion in the opening three games, further proof of a supreme ability to impact matches in the final third.

Under contract until 2026 (Transfermarkt), Liverpool, Klopp and Julian Ward alike will be hoping that Sesko remains on the market for upcoming transfer windows, perhaps as a long-term Robert Firmino successor.