Benjamin Sesko has pulled out of Slovenia’s clash against Luxembourg through injury, as Arsenal step up their pursuit of the striker. The 22-year-old has starred for RB Leipzig since arriving at the German side in 2023.
He scored 21 goals and notched six assists in all competitions, though it was a difficult season for Leipzig as they missed out on qualification for any European competition. Before joining the Bundesliga side, he fired Reb Bull Salzburg to three successive Austrian titles.
Sesko has long been a target for Premier League clubs, though Arsenal’s interest appears more serious this time around. The Gunners are desperate to bring in a new forward as they look to end their 21-year title drought.
Mikel Arteta’s side have finished as runners up in the Premier League for three successive seasons. And it is widely believed that a natural goalscorer is the missing piece of the puzzle.
Sesko is one of two players identified as being top targets, though first there is an international break to play out. The 22-year-old was included in Slovenia’s squad for their games against Luxembourg and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
That first friendly takes place on Friday in Luxembourg City, with Slovenia flying over on Thursday. According to Sportklub, Sesko is not a member of their travelling party though.
Instead, the striker has been forced to pull out of the friendly due to an injury he picked up towards the end of Leipzig’s season. Sesko did link up with his national team at the start of the international break but has been unable to train.
While he will not feature against Luxembourg, Sesko remains at their base in Slovenia. It is hoped he may be fit enough to feature against Bosnia & Herzegovina back home in Celje on Tuesday, with boss Matjaž Kek unconcerned.
This means an opportunity for someone else. It calls for us to try to find some solution. There are quite a few new names who have also made a good impression through our league, but now we have to put everything together into a mosaic that, I hope, will be good,” he said.
“I am sure that everyone will give their best. You don’t get into the national team with one good move and you don’t get out of it because of one bad move. Here are the guys who earned it over a certain period of time.”
It is not expected that Sesko’s injury issue will affect his potential departure from Leipzig. A report from Sky Germany earlier this week claimed that Arsenal sporting
Talks are underway regarding a possible payment structure, with Sesko having a £67.5m release clause in his contract. He still has another four years to run on that deal.
