£56m Arsenal target receives 3 contract offers from other clubs | OneFootball

Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko has received a couple of transfer offers in addition to a contract extension offer from RB Leipzig.

LEIPZIG, GERMANY: Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig applauds the fans following the team’s victory during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg at Red Bull Arena on April 13, 2024. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The Evening Standard are the latest outlet to confirm that Arsenal are interested in Benjamin Sesko this summer, but the Gunners face some difficulties in securing the transfer.

Fabrizio Romano reports that RB Leipzig have made contact with Sesko’s agent in recent days to offer him a new contract, hoping to convince him to stay for one more year.

On top of that, rival bids have already started to come in, with Romano reporting that Sesko has two offers from Saudi Pro League clubs.

The good news on that front is that the player has no plans to transfer to Saudi Arabia. But it’s clear Arsenal won’t be the only club in the mix this summer.

HEIDENHEIM, GERMANY: Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig scores his team’s first goal during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 and RB Leipzig at Voith-Arena on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Philipp Hinze of Sky Sport Germany reported over the weekend that Sesko’s release clause has now been finalised at €65m (£55.9m).

The contract contained various performance-based factors that could increase the clause to as much as €70-75m, but with the season now over, the figure is set.

Hinze added that there’s a deadline on Sesko’s release clause, and it must be triggered by the end of June.

LEIPZIG, GERMANY: Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig looks on during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and 1. FC Köln at Red Bull Arena on October 28, 2023. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Sam Dean wrote for The Telegraph that Arsenal have a strong interest in Sesko, and they’re considering a summer move for the young forward.

Rival suitors for the player reportedly believe Arsenal are in pole position for the signing, with the Gunners prioritising a move to strengthen their squad in forward areas in the upcoming window.

Among those rival suitors are Manchester United and Chelsea, and there have also been reports of interest from AC Milan.

Sesko’s agent Elvis Basanovic has been pictured at a couple of Arsenal games in recent weeks, sharing photos at the Emirates Stadium before the 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea and at Old Trafford before that 1-0 win.

Benjamin Sesko’s agent attends Arsenal’s match against Chelsea (Photo via Basanovic on Instagram)

Sesko has 18 goals and two assists in 42 games (22 starts) this season, averaging a goal or assist every 103 minutes. He ended the season with goals in seven consecutive Bundesliga fixtures.

That’s an impressive record for a 20-year-old striker in a top-five European league, and the player’s age fits nicely with recent claims from David Ornstein and John Cross that Arsenal might be looking for a younger long-term signing up front.