By all accounts, Arsenal are determined to sign a striker to propel their chances of winning the Premier League next season.
Mikel Arteta bemoaned Arsenal’s luck in his press conference before facing Paris Saint-Germain — the Spaniard recognised that Liverpool had just won the title with less points than his team over the last two seasons.
However, Arsenal can eliminate the need to rely on luck somewhat if they get their summer spending right.
Of course, Andrea Berta has arrived as the club’s new sporting director to guarantee exactly that.
Arsenal need a striker, a wide forward and a central midfielder at least, and Berta already seems to be making progress in all three positions.
Benjamin Sesko suggests he could leave RB Leipzig
That being said, when it comes to signing a new number nine, Berta has decided on two strikers for Arsenal — the club’s top candidates to act as alternatives to Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.
One of those is Benjamin Sesko at RB Leipzig, a striker who Arsenal actually tried to sign last summer.
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However, Berta has held talks with Sesko in recent weeks, a striker who is seemingly ready to leave the Bundesliga in a few months time.
And with that in mind, Sesko has now spoken about his future in an interview with Sky Germany, admitting that things are ‘open’ for the summer ahead.
Journalist Philipp Hinze shared the quotes on X, and although Sesko said he was focused on Leipzig’s efforts right now, he seemingly left the door ajar for a summer exit.
Asked about his future, Sesko replied: “Right now, I’m 100 percent focused on RB Leipzig. Then we’ll see what happens. It’s open, anything can happen.”
Sesko’s new release clause
In the same post on X, Hinze confirmed that Sesko’s release clause now exceeds €80m (£68m).
It’s a tall price to pay for a 21-year-old who is still learning on the job — he wouldn’t arrive at Arsenal as Kai Havertz’s immediate upgrade.
Therefore, Arsenal might prefer a move for Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting CP, the other striker on their narrowed down shortlist.
Berta loves Gyokeres’ character and ability, a striker he had on his shortlist whilst he was still working for Atletico Madrid.
In an ideal world Arsenal probably would just sign Isak from Newcastle, but with the Swede likely unavailable, there are still interesting options on the table.
