Arsenal have maintained their interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko and have him high on their wishlist of players to sign in 2025. However, a report from The Independent has revealed that the Gunners will need to shell out an additional £50 million premium to land Sesko before the January window slams shut on February 3.
This comes as a major stumbling block for Arsenal, who value Benjamin Sesko at £65 million, and believed that a bid in that region would be enough to convince Leipzig. They are unwilling to lose a top player mid-season as Sesko has already added 14 goals and three assists in 29 games for the German outfit. They are fourth in the Bundesliga currently and will look to remain in the top four to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Since taking one of their goal scorers could hinder their chances of qualifying, RB Leipzig believe quoting an inflated fee is justified. Due to this, Arsenal have been thrust into an uncomfortable position and will have to compromise and wait it out until the summer.
Arsenal likely to turn their heads elsewhere
Seeing the latest developments on the Sesko front, the Gunners will be forced to turn their heads elsewhere for a stop-gap solution for a striker, if they need one. The north Londoners’ approach for Aston Villa marksman Ollie Watkins was rebuffed as well, with the club preferring to hold onto him since they offloaded Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr.
Alexander Isak is another option, but would be near-impossible getting a deal over the line before the summer considering his form for Newcastle and his necessity for the team to meet their objectives. Sesko’s striker partner at RB Leipzig – Lois Openda – was also on the Gunners’ radar but the club have put their foot down and will not sell easy in January.
Closer to home, Arsenal also have Brighton’s Evan Ferguson on their radar, but are reluctant to make a move for the 20-year-old in haste. He has shown promise but is also injury-prone, which has made the Gunners wait. At the moment it looks like the Gunners will give another go for Watkins, but we shall see how that goes…
