‘One thing I don’t like about Arsenal is that they’re good at highjacking player because they felt they’re rich’: Man united boss Erik Ten Hag cries out as Arteta make first move to highjack His top target by January
Arsenal are lining up a move for former Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko, 20, rejected interest from the Red Devils last summer and instead joined RB Leipzig. However, the forward didn’t move to the Bundesliga outfit until July 2023 and spent one final season in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 18 goals in 41 appearances.
The Slovenia international has made an impressive start to life at Leipzig despite not starting as many matches as he may have hoped, netting six goals in 13 games. Sesko came on as a late substitute against Manchester City in the Champions League last month, having struck in the 3-1 win over Young Boys on matchday one.
But Sesko is already attracting interest from elsewhere, with Arsenal understood to have sent scouts to watch him in the German top-tier. The Gunners are ‘monitoring’ Sesko ahead of a potential move as he continues to draw comparisons with City marksman and Ballon d’Or runner-up Erling Haaland.
Surprisingly, Leipzig value Sesko at just £40million. AC Milan are also interested but Arsenal are confident they can win any race to secure the services of the attacker. Sesko has also scored nine goals in 24 appearances for Slovenia after making his senior debut back in 2021.
Mikel Arteta could be tempted to add another striker to his squad, although Eddie Nketiah showed his worth by scoring a hat-trick in the 5-0 rout over Sheffield United on Saturday. Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, won the Player of the Match in the victory against Sevilla last Tuesday after scoring and grabbing an assist.
The Gunners have also been linked with a move for Brentford star Ivan Toney once his eight-month ban comes to an end in January. Toney struck an impressive 20 top-flight goals in 33 matches last season and has been tipped to leave the Bees, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham among his potential suitors.
Arsenal boss Arteta was asked about his side’s striker search before their crunch clash against Manchester City last month, but appeared to rule out a move for another forward in January. “We believe in the players that we have first of all,” the Spaniard stated. “Because we have the resources that we have secondly, and at the moment we feel we are covering that position.”
With Sesko now entering the conversation, Arsenal may change their mind on adding an attacker to their ranks. Sesko’s agent Elvis Basanovic confirmed earlier this week that he had previously spoken to Milan over a potential move for the youngster, who has 57 career senior club goals to his name.
“I can confirm that I spoke with Milan in the past about Sesko when Maldini was there. However in that moment a transfer wasn’t possible, it was not the right time,” Basnovic said, via the Milan Eye. “You never know in the future, Milan is a big club. Sesko feels very good now at Leipzig where he continues to grow.”
