Maresca wants another attacker or two this summerMaresca wants another attacker or two this summer
Maresca wants another attacker or two this summer | Getty Images
Chelsea are said to have their eyes on an Arsenal striker target ahead of this summer.
Chelsea are said to be interested in Arsenal’s prime summer transfer target ahead of the summer. The Blues are in need of attackers ahead of next season, needing another winger and a striker, currently having insufficient competition for Nicolas Jackson, in particular.
Christopher Nkunku looks set to move on having failed to live up to expectations, while Marc Guiu has struggled with fitness, although he should remain at the club and challenge for a spot given his youth.
The Blues are said to be searching for striker targets ahead of the summer
, and according to David Ornstein, they are hard at work, with claims they are considering Arsenal’s reported prime target Benjamin Sesko. He wrote on his latest Q&A “From what we hear, Chelsea have been working really hard behind the scenes to secure deals ahead of the window opening. I’d expect a starting winger to arrive in the light of the Mudryk uncertainty and MAYBE also a younger one for the future. Chelsea have options like Liam Delap and Benjamin Sesko upfront, but it’s not clear yet who they’re going to go for.”
Sesko continues to be linked with an exit this summer amid claims RB Leipzig will allow him to leave if the right offer comes in, but the striker himself is not getting caught up in rumours. He has said this season: “I don’t comment on transfer rumours. I’m happy in Leipzig and that’s why I recently extended my contract. I want to achieve even more great things here, Leipzig wants to grow a lot and I want to accompany the team on this very intriguing journey.”
As for Leipzig, they decided not to sell for big money last summer, standing firm amid offers, with Oliver Mintzlaff saying: “Sesko had offers from the Premier League that were worth over 70 million euros. It was important to us that we were able to put together a top team after the big upheaval last year and continue to work based on a certain continuity."
Things will likely change this summer, though, with Leipzig thought to have agreed with Sesko upon the renewal of his contract that he will have the opportunity to leave if the right conditions are met. Speaking more recently about the swirling rumours, Mitzlaff added: “I think you should ask Mr. Arteta about that. But I think Sesko could suit many clubs because he has different football skills. "He can play alone in attack, with two strikers, a little further back, he has height, speed, technical speed."
Sesko has been with Leipzig since 2023, scoring 24 times in 56 league games so far, while he has netted 16 times in 41 games for national side Slovenia. The 21-year-old is not a particularly prolific striker, but he does get plenty involved in build-up play, and he very much fits Arsenal’s system, while Chelsea are looking for something different to Jackson, and Sesko certainly fits that requirement, not forgetting he may yet become a much more consistent goalscorer given he has plenty of improvement and development still to come.
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