Arsenal have been chasing Benjamin Sesko for over a year.
The RB Leipzig star is one of the best young strikers in the world, and the Gunners tried really hard to land him last summer.
Sesko rejected Arsenal 12 months ago, but Mikel Arteta is still very keen to sign him, and Andrea Berta is trying to get a deal done.
However, Sesko and his camp are said to have made a demand now that should convince Arsenal to move on to their other targets.
Arsenal should drop Benjamin Sesko pursuit after his latest demand
Benjamin Sesko is 22 years old and has the world at his feet.
Arsenal may well be the only club pushing to sign him at this point in time, but the striker surely has admirers across the continent.
In fact, Sesko has previously claimed that his dream move would be to Real Madrid, and there are signs now that he could be eyeing a future switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.
That’s because Duncan Castles has revealed that Sesko is demanding a release clause to be inserted into his contract if Arsenal want to sign him.
“I understand that Sesko is asking for an exit clause on any deal he agrees with Arsenal, and he would like that release clause to be set at just 20 per cent premium on whatever price Arsenal end up paying Leipzig for the striker,” Castles said on The Transfers Podcast.
“Which is quite unusual to ask for when you’re moving from, let’s say, a second-tier European club to a club that’s perceived as a first-tier European club and one of the most financially affluent clubs in European football.
“I think it’s unlikely Arsenal would agree to a deal on those terms.”
Allowing Sesko to have a release clause would be a very silly move because it would then open the door for another big club to lure him away at any point.
That is why Arsenal should end their pursuit if the striker refuses to budge on that demand.
Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko in action for RB Leipzig against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Arsenal should go all out to sign their other striker target
Sesko’s demand definitely complicates things for Arsenal, but luckily for them, Berta has the perfect alternative on his wish list.
The Gunners should abandon their pursuit of the RB Leipzig star and push forward to sign Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP instead.
Yes, the Swede hasn’t done it in a big league yet, but you just cannot ignore the fact that he has scored nearly 100 goals in the last two seasons.
Unless Arsenal can somehow sign Alexander Isak, Gyokeres should be the one they should go all out for, and this deal is definitely doable.
We think Gyokeres will really thrive at Arsenal if they get him this summer.