Arsenal have initiated concrete talks for the signing of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, with the striker expected to leave his current club this summer, according to a report.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal have started progressing initial concrete talks for Benjamin Sesko, following two previous failed attempts to sign the striker from RB Leipzig.
Sesko opted to spend an extra year with Leipzig instead of joining Arsenal in the summer of 2024, signing a new contract with the club, and the Gunners were then told he wasn’t for sale in January 2025.
This time around, Romano reports that Sesko “will leave”, it’s just a question of whether Arsenal will be the club to sign him.
Romano adds on his YouTube channel that Mikel Arteta and the Gunners’ recruitment team are now all on the same page with Sesko, approving the decision to open formal conversations.
The journalist clarifies that Arsenal still have other strikers on their shortlist like Viktor Gyokeres. But the club have started talks with both Leipzig and Sesko himself, trying to understand the potential fee and salary demands to do a deal.
Other clubs are showing interest as well, but Arsenal have the advantage of their long-term pursuit of the player. No other suitor can say they’ve been so actively on Sesko’s case for the last 12 months.
Though Gyokeres is still clearly an option for Arsenal, this update seems to suggest that the club have decided to make Sesko their number-one summer target for the centre-forward position.
A lot will depend on how these initial conversations go. If Leipzig and Sesko’s demands are unreasonable, perhaps the Gunners could then pivot to another target. If not, it may just be a matter of time until a deal is done.
Sesko scored 21 goals for Leipzig in 2024/25, assisting a further six. That included four goals in eight Champions League games, with only Bukayo Saka scoring more in the competition for Arsenal this season despite the run to the semi-final.
The striker also scored five goals in eight games for Slovenia, helping the team to avoid relegation from League B of the Nations League. He’s been called up again for a couple of friendlies against Luxembourg and Bosnia & Herzegovina over the upcoming June break, so his season isn’t done yet.