Arsenal forced into making ‘completely crazy’ striker bid to bring deal forward by six months

Arsenal can sign an elite striker via a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ next summer, though The Gunners are willing to break the bank right now and must make a ‘completely crazy’ bid to seal a deal six months early.

Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his and his club’s desire to sign a potent striker this month. Wasteful finishing has dogged Arsenal’s Premier League campaign this year, though The Gunners aren’t content to readily accept a third successive second-placed finish.

A number of high profile strikers are on Arsenal’s radar including Alexander Isak, Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres, Dusan Vlahovic, Benjamin Sesko and Mathues Cunha.

Today’s update regards RB Leipzig hitman Sesko who brought his goals tally for the season to 14 with a strike in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The Slovenian, 21, is already an impactful option and given his young age, is widely expected to become a truly world class striker in the very near future.

Arsenal along with Chelsea and Manchester United were all willing to trigger Sesko’s old £55m release clause last summer. However, the striker put pen to paper on a new deal with Leipzig on June 12 that removed the clause.

In its place is a gentleman’s agreement between club and player regarding a transfer in the summer of 2025. Leipzig have made it clear they’ll listen to offers in the €70m-€75m range, though as mentioned, there is not an official clause that can be activated.

The presence of the gentleman’s agreement has been confirmed by Sky Germany as well as The Mirror.

And in that update from The Mirror, it was claimed Arsenal are determined to sign a striker right now and don’t wish to wait six months.

Sesko was the main subject of the piece, with the report claiming Arsenal are ‘willing to spend big’ on the Slovenian right now.

However, in the aftermath of Leipzig’s 2-1 win over Sporting CP on Wednesday night, Leipzig manager, Marco Rose, reaffirmed his club’s intention NOT to sell Sesko in the winter window.

Asked whether Sesko remains unavailable for transfer this month, Rose replied: “Yes, that’s still the case.”

Leipzig are already mathematically eliminated from the Champions League despite their win over Sporting. However, they have reached the quarter-final stages of the DFB Pokal and perennial favourites Bayern Munich are out.

What’s more, Leipzig currently sit fifth in the Bundesliga and are embroiled in a scrap for UCL qualification.

As such, it’ll take a bid of epic proportions deemed too good to refuse for Leipzig to sanction a mid-season sale.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed Arsenal have held talks over Sesko’s signing.

But again, Romano confirmed Arteta’s side will need to go above and beyond with their bid to stand any chance of cajoling Leipzig into a sale before the February 3 deadline.

“[One target is] Benjamin Sesko, because they had some contacts for Sesko in the last 10 to 15 days,” explained Romano.

“But what I’m told is that RB Leipzig insist on their decision to keep the player at the club until the end of the season.

“So it’s not going to be easy. It will take something completely crazy in terms of financials to convince Leipzig in January.”

Latest Arsenal news – Martin Zubimendi decision

In other news, GiveMeSport claim Martin Zubimendi has said yes to Arsenal and is now ‘extremely likely’ to complete his transfer to north London in the summer.

Journalist James Benge told the outlet: “Zubimendi is extremely likely.

“It’s not done yet, because, of course, they have to pay the release clause, but messages have come from Arteta and the Arsenal side for a very long time, convincing Zubimendi, who rejected the chance to go to Liverpool and has rejected the chance to go elsewhere in the Premier League, when it’s been put to him in the past that this is the time to move and this is the club to move to.

“So they have to go and pay the release clause and my expectation is that they will either do that or, actually more likely, will go a little bit over the release clause, just to sweeten the payment terms.”

Zubimendi’s release clause at Real Sociedad is worth €60m/£50.7m.

GO DEEPER: Benjamin Sesko profile

By Nathan Egerton

Sesko first started to make headlines when he scored 59 goals in 23 games in the Under-15 set-up at Slovenian side Krsko.

He moved to Austria at the age of 16 and signed for Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth €2.5million.

The striker immediately joined Salzburg’s partner club, FC Liefering, on loan for two seasons. He scored just one goal in his debut season before netting 21 goals in the 2020/21 season.

Sesko returned to Salzburg and scored 29 goals over the following two seasons, helping the club win the Austrian Cup and two Austrian Bundesliga titles.

The 21-year-old completed a €24million move to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 and finished his debut season in Germany with 18 goals across all competitions.

He also became the youngest ever player to score in seven consecutive Bundesliga games at the age of 20 years and 353 days.

In addition to his club form, the Slovenia international has 15 goals in 35 caps for his country and won their Footballer of the Year award in 2022.

He is the youngest player and the youngest goalscorer in Slovenia’s history, having scored his first goal for the country against Malta in October 2021 at the age of 18 years, four months and eight days.

Sesko idolises Erling Haaland and has also been compared to the Manchester City forward due to his physicality, impressive technique and electrifying pace.

He stands at 6ft 4in, while only six Bundesliga strikers recorded a faster running speed than Sesko’s 35.47kmph in the 2023/24 season.

“Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy,” Sesko said when asked about Haaland. “They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is.

“My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him.”