Rasmus Hojlund has told Manchester United he does not want to move to RB Leipzig, talkSPORT understands.
Leipzig have expressed an interest in signing striker Hojlund, as the Red Devils continue their pursuit of Benjamin Sesko.
United opened talks over a move for the Slovenian after sending a delegation to Germany earlier this week.
Sesko has been among Europe’s hottest properties this summer, with Arsenal previously keen before eventually abandoning their interest after Leipzig refused to lower their asking price in excess of €80million.
United aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 22-year-old, with talkSPORT reporting that Newcastle have now submitted a €75m (£65m) bid, plus €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons for him.
With the potential for a transfer tug-of-war, both teams believe a transfer for Sesko could be possible for closer to €70m.
talkSPORT understands the forward favours a move to Old Trafford over St James’ Park, while another factor could have also helped to swing things United’s way.
The Red Devils could offer Hojlund to Leipzig in exchange for Sesko.
With United under pressure to balance the books due to PSR restrictions, a swap deal would help in this respect.
However, there is now a major stumbling block in this plan, with Hojlund reiterating that he does not want to leave the club.
What has been said about Hojlund’s Man United future?
This comes just days after the Dane publicly stated that he wants to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, despite United’s eagerness to sign a new striker.
Hojlund got on the scoresheet in United’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League Summer Series on Thursday.
After the match, he outlined his plans for the season ahead: “The most important [thing] for me is to keep working hard and stay focused and then we’ll see what happens.
“My plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot.”
“Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me. I’m more than ready.”
Despite fighting talk from Hojlund however, United boss Ruben Amorim was unable to give any guarantees over his future.
He said after the Bournemouth clash: “I’m really happy with Rasmus, but I don’t know what is going to happen until the end of the market.
“The important thing is that Rasmus is scoring goals. He’s connecting really well with the team. He’s improving.
“I don’t know what is going to happen until the market is closed. We suffered a lot because of the lack of goals last season.”
What is Man United’s current striker situation?
United have made shoring up their front line a top priority this summer, signing forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for a combined cost of £113.5m.
However, they are still yet to sign a centre forward, having identified Sesko and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as their two main targets.
However, talkSPORT understands Amorim prefers the latter, while Villa don’t wish to sell their top goalscorer from last season.
Since joining United from Atalanta in a deal worth £72million in 2023, Hojlund has struggled to justify his huge price tag.
He scored just four Premier League goals from 32 appearances during the 2024/25 campaign, while his overall Red Devils tally stands at 26 goals in 95 games.