Arsenal transfer goalkeeper Benjamin Sesko once dismissed rivals Manchester United.
The 21-year-old RB Leipzig striker has emerged as the solution to Arsenal's attacking woes in the January transfer window. Mikel Arteta's side need a clinical striker as they look to keep pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Kai Havertz's poor form, as well as a long-term injury to Gabriel Jesus, has increased speculation in recent weeks over the Gunners' pursuit of Sesko, who was linked with a move to the north Londoners last summer.
However, Arteta missed out on the Slovenian striker as he opted to stay in Germany for another year and signed a new contract with Leipzig until 2029. And a year earlier, when Sesko was still playing for sister club Red Bull Salzburg, he rejected United in favor of the Bundesliga team.
Sesko explained at the time that he thought it was “better” to go to Leipzig because the playing style suited him better and to which he was used in Salzburg. “It was very important for me to go to a place where a similar style of football is played. I already knew what I had to do and didn't have to go through the whole learning process again,” he says.
Arsenal boss Arteta recognized his need for a striker ahead of the current season and showed interest in Sesko the following year, in 2024. But the youngster once again made a decision based on what would best benefit his career, namely to still to stay in Leipzig for a year. year.
His new deal saw the £55m release clause in his previous contract removed, while some reports claimed Sesko had struck a gentleman's deal to see him leave for £60m in the summer of 2025. Mirror Football revealed last May that Sesko is in favor of a move to the Gunners. But despite their renewed interest in signing him, the Athletics claim he is unlikely to leave Germany this month.
The player's agent, Elvis Basanovic, was unable to explain where the recent rumors of a January move came from, with no dialogue taking place with the north London team. He told GiveMeSport: “I don't know where this story comes from, but I have never spoken to Arsenal about a move for Sesko.”
He then shut down the idea, adding: “Sesko is not a loan player and this has never been an issue at Arsenal or any other club. If you ask me if Sesko will move in January, I can only say that Sesko is an RB Leipzig player and is fully focused on that.”
However, Basanovic was more circumspect about whether Sesko could end up in north London in the future, telling Slovenian TV channel Arena Sport: 'I think you should ask Mr Arteta. But I think Sesko would fit in with many clubs because he has different football qualities. He can only play in attack, with two attackers, a little further back, he has length, speed and technical speed.”
He confirmed that a future move will only be considered if it suits the player's development, and highlighted how much Sesko has improved even since signing a new contract last summer. “We can see that our decision was right. Six months later, he is already a better striker than last season,” said Basanovic.
“What he lacks is experience. We can't forget that he is only 21 years old, so we didn't want him to go to the Premier League this summer. There were concrete options, but we consciously chose to stay in the Bundesliga to give him time to develop and develop into a better striker.”
When asked what compensation Leipzig would need to consider a sale in January, Sesko's representative was firm in his response, adding: “I don't think Leipzig would be satisfied with any compensation at this point, Leipzig does not want to sell Benjamin.” Sesko because they really appreciate him very much.”
It is understood Arsenal will face competition for Sesko's signature from several European clubs if they wait until the summer to land him. Barcelona are said to be interested, although their financial constraints will be a hurdle.
The Gunners, meanwhile, may have to explore other potential market opportunities during this transfer window based on the aforementioned reports. Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic are other names linked with the Premier League side, who are six points behind leaders Liverpool after playing a game more.
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