Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has “already” met with an RB Leipzig official to secure the services of Benjamin Sesko, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.
Writing on his X account, Pletterberg said that Berta had a “meeting” with Marcel Schafter to discuss the details regarding the transfer of the Slovenian international
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“Negotiations between RB Leipzig and Arsenal regarding Benjamin Sesko have begun! A few days ago, there was already a meeting between the executives Marcel Schäfer and Andrea Berta in London.”
“It remains unclear whether Arsenal are able to afford the full package. Discussions are currently ongoing about a possible payment structure. The release clause is set at over €80 million. Victor Gyokeres is still high on the list. The current focus is on Sesko.”
Arsenal are not prepared to trigger the release clause
Based on Plettenberg’s remarks, it appears that paying €80m (£67m) upfront is out of the question for the Gunners. It has already been suggested that Leipzig would be flexible on payment structures.
However, if they don’t trigger the clause, it is believed that Sesko’s asking price could be higher, at around €90m (£75.7m). For Financial Fair Play reasons, paying a higher fee over a longer period of time may be preferable.
Berta is still keen on signing Sesko’s alternative
As Plettenberg also mentions, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres remains a candidate if negotiations for Sesko stall. Berta is known to be backing a move for the Swedish international.
He would be slightly cheaper too, with reports suggesting a bid of around €65m (£54.6m) could be accepted.
If you want to find out which of the two strikers is a better player statistically, you can read our article.
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