Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had one striker at the very top of his transfer priority list, but the expectation is that he'll now remain at his club for another window.
mikel-arteta-arsenal-premier-league Related
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Mikel Arteta is being backed to the hilt.
The Gunners have showcased serious ambition under new sporting director Andrea Berta this summer, having already announced the signings of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.
Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports) Money on new signings
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19/20 - winter £0
20/21 - summer £81.5m
20/21 - winter £900k
21/22 - summer £156.8m
21/22 - winter £1.8m
22/23 - summer £121.5m
22/23 - winter £59m
23/24 - summer £208m
23/24 - winter £0
24/25 - summer £101.5m
24/25 - winter £0
25/26 - summer £75m
This trio of deals takes Arsenal's transfer expenditure to around £75 million, not including add-ons, but Arteta's side are certainly not done there.
Chelsea have given the green light for winger Noni Madueke to join Arsenal (Fabrizio Romano), in a deal worth around £50 million, and the 23-year-old is poised to become the seventh player in six years to swap Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium.
Despite striking a deal for Madueke, Arsenal haven't given up on their pursuit of Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, and talks have been held with the 27-year-old's representatives in an entirely separate move to his England international teammate.
Arsenal-Eze (1)
However, the one signing all Gunners supporters want to see above all is the potential addition of a new striker.
Arsenal scored just 69 Premier League goals last term, far below their previous tallies of 88 and 91 in the 22/23 and 23/24 campaigns, and it is widely reported that they're now in advanced talks to sign Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres in an attempt to solve this conundrum.
However, the Swede who scored 54 goals in all competitions last season wasn't always their main target.
Benjamin Sesko expected to remain at RB Leipzig this summer
That is according to reliable journalist Christian Falk, who wrote in his FactFiles column, as quoted by CaughtOffside, that Benjamin Sesko is set to be priced out of a transfer away from RB Leipzig.
benjamin-sesko-arsenal-premier-league
Sesko was Arteta's "first choice" potential striker signing for Arsenal, but the Slovenia international is now expected to remain in the Bundesliga, unless a suitor is willing to pay close to his £78 million price tag.
“Benjamin Šeško was Mikel Arteta’s first-choice option to reinforce the striker position,” said the head of football at BILD.
“However, Edu Gaspar, Arsenal’s former sporting director, was more focused on Viktor Gyökeres because the Sporting Lisbon star is a cheaper option.
“Now, at the moment, Šeško is too expensive for Arsenal and Manchester United. So, it seems he’s going to stay put for another season, unless a potential suitor is prepared to come in and pay €90m [£77.5m].
“It could still happen, but as we’re seeing with Arsenal, not every club is willing to pay this amount.”