An Arsenal legend has ‘revealed the club’s stance’ regarding the potential transfer of RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko, 21, is one of Europe’s top-performing strikers at the moment and found the net again in his team’s 2-1 victory over Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Telegraph reported last week that Arsenal has been a “long-term admirer” of the RB Leipzig striker and is looking to “explore a summer deal.”
A transfer in January is considered to be “highly expensive.” Last summer, Arsenal was strongly linked with the Slovenian forward, but he was reportedly hesitant to join Mikel Arteta’s squad due to concerns about not securing regular starts, with Kai Havertz being the first-choice forward, according to the Mail.
So far this season, Sesko has scored 14 goals and provided 3 assists in 26 appearances for Leipzig, along with 16 goals in 39 caps for Slovenia, all at just 21 years old.
His current contract runs until June 2029 after he signed a new deal with Leipzig in June 2024. However, The Athletic mentioned a “gentlemen’s agreement” between Sesko and Leipzig, which, instead of a release clause, allows him to leave for the right project, with a transfer fee to be negotiated before reaching an acceptable range.
It was previously believed that Sesko’s last contract included a £55m release clause.
David Seaman, former Arsenal and England goalkeeper, has shared his thoughts on the current situation.
“Everyone’s talking about signing a new striker, and it does seem like that’s what we need,” he said in an interview with talkSPORT. “It looks like we’re trying to get one, but getting a top-tier striker, the finished product, in January is rare.”
He added, “Kai Havertz isn’t a traditional striker, but he’s scored some key goals. It’s frustrating because I can sense the fans’ frustration building up. There are some murmurs now because we’re not where we want to be.”
Seaman continued, “I know for sure they’re working hard to sign a striker, but whether it happens now or in the summer, I’m not sure. There are options being considered, so we’ll just have to wait and see if they come to fruition.”
