Having finally solved the winger problem by signing Anthony Elanga, just who will be the answer to Newcastle United’s alternative striker options?

With the club looking away from Hugo Ekitike as Liverpool close in, and having already missed out on Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, time is running out for us to find a player to partner Alexander Isak ahead of the pre-season campaign.

Eddie Howe has been clear about wanting to get names through the door and fast, and only having Isak and Will Osula at his disposal, we must act soon if we want to show the gaffer we’re committed to strengthening the squad ahead of the forthcoming Champions League campaign.

But who will we turn to next? Is Wissa a genuine option and could a familiar name from the continent be back on our radar?

RB Leipzig star linked again

According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Newcastle could rekindle their interest in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko this summer.

He reports that Eddie Howe is a long-term admirer of the 22-year-old, who has previously been watched by Newcastle scouts and linked as a potential option to bolster our forward options.

Crook comments “Benjamin Sesko could be the next name on the list in terms of a striker target for Newcastle. He is someone who Eddie Howe has admired for a long time.”

Sesko bagged 13 goals in the Bundesliga last season and had been tipped to join Arsenal, only for Mikel Arteta to pursue Swedish goal machine Viktor Gyokeres instead.

Alongside Sesko, we also retain an interest in Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, but Crooks adds that Spurs are his preferred destination as things stand, allowing him to remain in London and reunite with Thomas Frank.

However, Wissa’s availability is in question now Man Utd have upped their bid for Bryan Mbeumo to £70m all in, which could cause issues given Brentford do not want to sell both of their top attackers in one window.

Why Sesko feels unlikely

Even with our scattergun approach for a new striker, there’s at least a common theme with the names being linked with us: versatility.

Pedro and Ekitike in particular could play both out wide, centrally, and alongside Isak, where the only question about their suitability would be if they were willing to let the Swede remain the primary striker at the club.

Sesko is an outlier: being 6’5” and quite robust, he’s the textbook definition of an out and out stiker, not that versatile option who could drop short and help us break down a low block, as Pedro and Ekitike can.

RB Leipzig, despite not even qualifying for European football, are also freely spending this window in preparation for a push for Champions League qualification and even the Bundesliga title.

The last thing they would want to be doing this summer would be selling Sesko for anything less than a mammoth fee. If Isak was being sold, I could see it, but I’d file this under highly unlikely now the Swede looks set to stay.