Saturday morning deal- Arsenal are planning a ‘courageous move’ to sign £150M team leader who is a fan of Thierry Henry- Arteta looks to make history and build a legacy as big as Arsene Wenger as he believes he could pull the deal off

Saturday morning deal- Arsenal are planning a ‘courageous move’ to sign £150M team leader who is a fan of Thierry Henry- Arteta looks to make history and build a legacy as big as Arsene Wenger as he believes he could pull the deal off

There has been a big striker update on Arsenal

Arsenal have changed striker targets and are now in ‘negotiations’ to sign Benjamin Sesko, according to a trusted reporter, though they could face competition from a fierce Premier League rival for his services.

Mikel Arteta’s dream signing for the centre-forward position would be Alexander Isak, but Newcastle United will do all they can to prevent him from leaving, especially for a direct competitor. With Newcastle expected to demand upwards of £120million (€143m / $162m) for the Swede, Arteta and Arsenal have been forced to look at different options.

It has been widely reported in recent weeks that Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has convinced Arteta to pursue Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres instead.

Indeed, reports in the Portuguese press have claimed Berta has submitted an opening bid for Gyokeres.

However, Arsenal have switched their attention back to Sesko, whom they missed out on last summer.

Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has confirmed that the ‘current focus is on Sesko’, while Gyokeres remains ‘high on the list’.

According to Plettenberg, who is a trustworthy source for Bundesliga news, ‘negotiations between Arsenal and Leipzig over Sesko have begun’.

Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer has travelled to London to hold face-to-face talks with his Arsenal counterpart Berta.

‘Discussions are ongoing about a possible payment structure’, as at this stage it is ‘unclear whether Arsenal are able to afford the full package’.

The Slovenian striker has a sliding scale release clause in his contract which is currently worth over €80m (£67m / $91m).

Various outlets have reported that Leipzig would ideally want around £90m (€107m / $121m) for Sesko, but a transfer at that price seems unlikely.

Arsenal could complete long-term Benjamin Sesko transfer mission
Arsenal made an approach for the 21-year-old last summer but were knocked back as he opted to extend his contract with Leipzig.

Sesko wanted to continue his development in Germany for one more season and he now appears ready to test himself out in the Premier League.

Plettenberg has previously revealed that Arsenal are in ‘concrete talks’ for Sesko and that the transfer is firmly ‘on’, with Arteta sold on him.

But Arsenal are not the only club looking to bring the star to the Premier League. Separate reports in the German media state Manchester United are ready to re-enter the chase for Sesko after missing out on Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap.

United agreed personal terms with Delap but he has rejected them in favour of Chelsea as he wants to play in the Champions League next season.

United’s head of recruitment Christopher Vivell has greenlit a swoop for Sesko, it has been claimed. Vivell knows him very well following his time working at both Red Bull Salzburg and Leipzig.

Arsenal may feel confident about beating United to Sesko as they, like Chelsea, will be in the 2025-26 Champions League, a competition the forward wants to continue starring in.