Man United 'hurt' Barcelona with the signing of 'Robert Lewandowski's heir' this summer

Barcelona have reportedly been left 'hurt' by Manchester United's signing of Benjamin Sesko this summer.

Sesko, 22, completed a big-money move to Old Trafford from RB Leipzig last weekend, and he is set to make his debut for the 20-time English champions in their Premier League opener against Arsenal on Sunday.

Newcastle United made a strong attempt to sign the Slovenia international before Man United made their move, while Arsenal were also credited with an interest in his services earlier in the transfer window.

According to Sport, Sesko's move to Man United has also left Barcelona disappointed, with the Catalan outfit said to have been keen to move for the centre-forward during next summer's transfer window.

Robert Lewandowski is set to spend one more season at Camp Nou before moving on, and the La Liga champions are said to have viewed Sesko as the ideal replacement for the veteran.

Barcelona 'wanted Sesko' to replace Lewandowski in 2026

The report claims that Barcelona sporting director Deco is a huge fan of Sesko, but a deal this summer was seen as impossible due to the Catalan team's ongoing financial problems.

Barcelona had allegedly been hopeful that Sesko would remain at Leipzig for one more season, but Man United moved to bring him to the Premier League.

Sesko scored 39 goals and registered eight assists in 87 appearances for Leipzig ahead of his move to Man United, while he also struck 29 times in 79 fixtures for Red Bull Salzburg earlier in his career.

The 20-time English champions have paid an initial £66.3m for the striker, but the deal will eventually reach £73.7m, making it one of the biggest transfers in their history.

Lewandowski is still going strong for Barcelona

Lewandowski made the move to Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, and he has scored 101 goals and registered 20 assists in 147 appearances for the Catalan giants.

Last season, the 36-year-old managed 42 goals and three assists in 52 appearances for Hansi Flick's side, and he will once again be the starting striker at the club during the 2025-26 campaign.

Lewandowski is likely to leave on a free transfer in 2026, although that is not set in stone, as there is an option for his contract to be extended for a further 12 months until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.