Manchester United's proposed pre-season friendly against RB Leipzig, which was negotiated as part of the deal for striker Benjamin Sesko, will not take place this summer. However, Mirror Football can reveal that the Bundesliga outfit will still head to England before the start of the 2026-27 season, where they will take on Leeds United at Elland Road instead.
The match is slated for the weekend commencing August 8, once both clubs have returned from their respective trips to the United States and Austria. Final details are expected to be announced in due course.
Red Bull bought a minority stake in Leeds and became their front-of-shirt sponsor ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, when the Whites won the Championship title to earn promotion back to the top flight. Relations between the clubs have improved significantly since November 2022, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed an appeal and ordered Leeds to pay Leipzig £18.4 million for Jean-Kevin Augustin. At the time, Leeds disputed whether they had to pay the 'obligation to buy' the striker because the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted their season, but the ordeal has now been firmly put to bed.
Meanwhile, Manchester United paid Leipzig an initial £66.3 million for Sesko last August, plus £7.4 million in potential bonuses. Around £3.45 million of those add-ons have now been triggered after United secured Champions League qualification for next season. It is understood the Slovenia international also hit a certain threshold for undisclosed appearance and performance-related criteria.
Further bonuses are up for grabs throughout the duration of Sesko's contract at Old Trafford. Additionally, the future friendly between the clubs is expected to generate up to £1.75 million in potential revenue. Sesko scored 11 Premier League goals this term but missed the final three matches of the campaign due to injury.
Slovenia national team boss Bostjan Cesar recently shared his frustration that Sesko was not available for upcoming friendlies against Cyprus and Croatia. He said: 'He missed the last assembly in March and then I kind of wanted him to be absent from United for a while, but then he came back quickly and I don't think he missed a game for the club. But if a player hasn't been in a competitive rhythm for a month, then I don't see the point in him coming and playing at half-strength.'
