Arsenal Open Talks With Leipzig On Deal For Sesko

Arsenal have reportedly opened talks with RB Leipzig on a £75 million deal to sign Benjamin Sesko, with Mikel Arteta looking to strengthen his attack this summer.

A new striker is top of his shopping list, with the Gunners missing a prolific goalscorer.

Kai Havertz was Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League last season with nine strikes. Only Manchester United and relegated Southampton had a top scorer who managed less goals, while Sesko netted 13 times in the Bundesliga for Leipzig.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Arsenal’s new sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with Leipzig chief Marcel Schafer about Sesko. It is claimed that Leipzig want an initial £75m fee for the 21-year-old.

And Arteta recently claimed that the club could break their transfer record this summer, with Declan Rice’s £100m move from West Ham in 2023 Arsenal’s current record signing

“The budget is like when you have your wedding: you plan your wedding with your wife and you give her a budget and it’s never less, it’s always more,” Arteta said.

“When you build a house, it’s always more. Normally this happens. You prepare for different scenarios. Then unfortunate things happen. There are so many variables that can happen but there is a budget.

“There is always an idea of what we can do, what we can improve, what the priorities are going to be and then let’s see if we can do it. It’s always a ‘we’ I think it’s always a decision that all of us have to come together.

“Then obviously in certain aspects, the club, the financial aspects, whether it’s the strategy or this or that, they have a bigger say than me because I don’t want to have an opinion on that. I would have probably a reference but not a strong opinion.

“When it’s more technical or tactical aspects of how I think that player is going to now emerge and be cohesive with the group of players that we have and where I see them now developing and what we want to do next with another player, of course it’s more in between the sporting director, in this case Andrea, myself and all the scouting department.”

It is claimed that Arsenal have also held talks with Sporting Lisbon over Viktor Gyokeres, with the 26-year-old another striker who has caught the eye of several clubs across Europe. Gyokeres netted 39 goals in 33 Liga Portugal games last season as Sporting won the league.

Berta is said to be a big fan of Gyokeres, but the likes of Chelsea and Juventus are also said to be interested in the former Coventry star.