'Newcastle and Man United locked in Nick Woltemade tussle with transfer fee revealed'

Manchester United and Newcastle are set to do battle over a striker as both club's search desperately for a new number nine.

A striker is one of the priority positions for Man United and Newcastle to address in this window, with both club's having already missed out on targets.

Ruben Amorim wanted a reunion at Old Trafford with Viktor Gyokeres, who he used to manage at Sporting, but Arsenal sealed the deal first, whilst Eddie Howe was beaten to the signing of Hugo Ekitike by Liverpool.

Alexander Isak is training alone in Spain and not participating in Newcastle's pre-season tour and following Callum Wilson's departure, Howe only has William Osula to call upon up-front.

Sesko potentially off as new striker target emerges

Newcastle and Man United have both targeted RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, but amid the asking price and demands set for a sale by the German club, a new striker has been lined up.

The Sun [July 31] reports 23-year-old Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade is a target for Newcastle and United, with the Bundesliga club placing a £40million valuation on the German.

A deal for Woltemade has been made easier by Bayern Munich's interest cooling and the Bundesliga champions potentially pulling out of the race following their purchase of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.

Woltemade was part of the German under-21 squad which reached the final of the Euros this summer, losing out on the trophy to England.

Newcastle face pressure to secure striker

Football Insider Verdict

Man United need a striker, but following their purchases of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, the Red Devils have goals in their side.

Mbeumo, naturally a winger, can play up-front as show by his goalscoring record at Brentford, whilst Cunha has an eye for goal from the number 10 position.

All the pressure to sign a new striker is on Newcastle, if the Toon lose Isak and do not find a replacement then Howe will face criticism from supporters.

A resolution on Isak is quickly required so Newcastle have the maximum funds available to them when they go into negotiations.

A deal for Sesko looks complicated and pricy so an alternative like Woltemade, who is young and will have re-sale value if he performs, is a good purchase.

Other options are also being considered like Yoane Wissa, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Ollie Watkins and Rodrigo Muniz, and ideally Howe should be looking to sign two strikers to add depth and competition in his ranks.