MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United signed Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko on Saturday in an attempt to bounce back from its worst season in the Premier League era.
United paid Leipzig a fee that could reach 85 million euros ($99 million) for the 22-year-old Sesko, who signed a five-year contract.
Sesko is the third forward United has signed this offseason after a lack of goals last term saw the 20-time English champion record its lowest finish in the modern era when it placed 15th, just three places above the relegation zone.
His arrival follows the signings of forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo as coach Ruben Amorim has prioritized revamping his attack ahead of his first full season in charge.
“The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future,” Sesko said in the team’s announcement.
“When we discussed the project,” he added, “it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon.”
Strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee scored just 18 goals between them in all competitions last term as United fell to a club-record 18 losses in the Premier League era and its lowest points total of 42.
Only four teams scored fewer goals than United in the top flight last term — including the three relegated clubs.
Sesko has been compared to former Paris Saint-Germain and United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic because of his height — both are 1.95 meters (6 feet, 5 inches) tall — and flashes of technical skill. He has proved he is capable of scoring spectacular goals, but his statistics for Leipzig have been modest after two years in Germany.
He scored 14 goals in his first season with the club and followed that with 13 last term.
Sesko has six goals in 28 Champions League games for Leipzig and his previous club Salzburg. He's tallied 16 goals in 41 games for Slovenia.
“Benjamin possesses a rare combination of electrifying pace and the ability to physically dominate defenders, making him one of the most exceptional young talents in world football,” said Jason Wilcox, United's director of football.
“We have followed Benjamin’s career closely,” he added. “All of our data analysis and research concluded that he has the required qualities and personality to thrive at Manchester United.”
The move for Sesko comes after United's reported interest in Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres and Ollie Watkins.
Sesko is unproven in England, but Cunha and Mbeumo are tried and tested in the Premier League.
Mbeumo scored 20 league goals for Brentford last season, with only Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland netting more. Cunha scored 17 in all competitions and helped Wolves avoid relegation last term.
James Ellingworth in Dusseldorf contributed.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE -Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
FILE -Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
BEIJING (AP) — Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.
Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from about 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.
“It has been a historic and productive two days,” Carney said, speaking outside against the backdrop of a traditional pavilion and a frozen pond at a Beijing park. “We have to understand the differences between Canada and other countries, and focus our efforts to work together where we’re aligned.”
Earlier Friday, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony.
Xi told Carney in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.
“It can be said that our meeting last year opened a new chapter in turning China–Canada relations toward improvement,” China's top leader said.
Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years, said better relations would help improve a global governance system that he described as “under great strain.”
He called for a new relationship “adapted to new global realities” and cooperation in agriculture, energy and finance.
Those new realities reflect in large part the so-called America-first approach of U.S. President Donald Trump. The tariffs he has imposed have hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who has met with several leading Chinese companies in Beijing, said ahead of his trip that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on the U.S. at what he called “a time of global trade disruption.”
A Canadian business owner in China called Carney's visit game-changing, saying it re-establishes dialogue, respect and a framework between the two nations.
“These three things we didn’t have,” said Jacob Cooke, the CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, which helps exporters navigate the Chinese market. “The parties were not talking for years.”
Canada had followed the U.S. in putting tariffs of 100% on EVs from China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor.
China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has said. Overall, China's imports from Canada fell 10.4% last year to $41.7 billion, according to Chinese trade data.
China is hoping Trump’s pressure tactics on allies such as Canada will drive them to pursue a foreign policy that is less aligned with the United States. The U.S. president has suggested Canada could become America's 51st state.
Carney departs China on Saturday and visits Qatar on Sunday before attending the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week. He will meet business leaders and investors in Qatar to promote trade and investment, his office said.
Associated Press business writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, arrives to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, Pool)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
