Manchester United's planned pre-season friendly against RB Leipzig, negotiated as part of the deal for Benjamin Sesko, will not take place this summer. However, the Bundesliga club will still head to England before the 2026-27 season, where they will face Leeds United at Elland Road instead.
The match is scheduled for the weekend commencing August 8, after both clubs return from trips to the United States and Austria. Final details are expected to be announced shortly. The fixture strengthens ties between Leeds and Leipzig, following Red Bull's minority stake and shirt sponsorship deal with Leeds ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Relations between the clubs have improved since the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Leeds to pay Leipzig £18.4 million for Jean-Kevin Augustin in 2022. Meanwhile, Manchester United paid an initial £66.3 million for Sesko last August, with £3.45 million in bonuses triggered after Champions League qualification and other performance criteria.
The future friendly between United and Leipzig was expected to generate up to £1.75 million in revenue. Sesko scored 11 Premier League goals this season but missed the final three matches due to injury, leading to frustration from Slovenia's national team coach over his unavailability for upcoming friendlies.
