Arteta needs a strikerArteta needs a striker
Arteta needs a striker | Getty Images
Arsenal could get a discounted deal as they look to land a striker this summer.
Arsenal are still yet to make their big move on a striker as they look to finally end their search this summer. The Gunners have needed a new frontman for some time, but Mikel Arteta has not been willing to procure one, regularly directing spending to other areas.
But with Arsenal having fallen short and by some way in the season just gone, there is now no doubt that a striker is needed. Who that striker will be is not yet clear, but it does seem as though Arteta has a fondness for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
The decision may come down to cost, especially with Arsenal needing to strengthen in a number of other areas this summer. But there is some good news when it comes to Sesko, with Fabrizio Romano now reporting that the Gunners might be able to get hold of the forward for less than the reported £84.1million.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Arsenal started to understand the whole situation around Sesko. Contract terms, player value in terms of what RB Leipzig want, and I’m told that could be less than the reported 100 million euros. So the conversation was ongoing. Now, still nothing agreed as of today”
Arsenal are already able to sign players as part of a special early 10-day transfer window that will run until June 10 due to the presence of the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. After that, the window will close again until later in the month, but clubs traditionally still get deals done, it’s just that the move cannot become official until the window reopens.
The Gunners’ aim will be to have a new striker locked up ready for the start of pre-season, while they will also be on the lookout for a winger, midfielder, centre-back and a back-up goalkeeper.
What Sesko has said
Sesko has refused to be drawn on transfer links. He told the Bundesliga website last season amid transfer links: “It’s my aim just to be better than last season. I think every striker wants to keep improving. I’m working on that. I’m going to have more playing time, so there will be more time for goals too."
On his toughest moment in football, he added: “Yes, I think the toughest came when I was playing at Salzburg. I should have been the first-choice striker there, and then all of a sudden, I voiced my opinion about something that didn't go down well. I was young, of course. Then all of a sudden, I wasn't even on the bench, I was watching from the stands. I had to fight my way back to even be in the squad and then to get in the first XI. You could say it was the worst moment, but it made me much tougher and taught me how to act in such situations. It was a good lesson.”
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