Arsenal have a few options on the table right now, a potential deal for Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting CP has also long been in the works
But Benjamin Sesko is emerging as the striker who Arsenal want first and foremost, their best Alexander Isak alternative if you will.
However, the process hasn’t been as simple as Arteta picking Sesko above all others — in fact, the Arsenal manager is probably less involved than a lot of fans imagine.
New sporting director Andrea Berta is now leading the charge in that respect, and by a lot of accounts, the Italian is under pressure to get things right immediately.
That being said, Graeme Bailey has now spoken to TBR Football and provided further clarity on Arsenal’s pursuit of Sesko.
Arsenal are somewhat pushing back on the idea that Arteta has walked in at London Colney and told the club to buy Sesko — something that simply isn’t the reality.
Bailey explained: “From what I’m told, there is some push back from Arsenal on saying that Arteta is the one simply banging on the table saying ‘bring me Sesko’.
That’s not how a big club operates now, my belief is that Arteta made it clear in terms of what he wants in terms of a striker — he’s voiced his opinion on certain options and he’s generally happy with who Arsenal are targeting.
So I don’t think it’s intrinsically true that Arteta is just pushing for Sesko. I know for a fact that other players’ camps like Gyokeres’ have been told that Sesko isn’t the only option.
“Whether that’s the truth or not, maybe it’s somewhere in between, but as it stands, Sesko is still the furthest along in terms of a deal being done.
We know Arsenal are speaking to Leipzig about a deal and Sesko has made his feelings known to Leipzig — he thought there was an agreement to leave for X amount.
“Sesko is furthest along, but it wouldn’t take an awful lot for Arsenal to divert to Gyokeres, Ekitike or Watkins if they wanted to. But Sesko is the priority.
Of course, the biggest stumbling block for Arsenal in terms of signing Sesko right now is his asking price.
It’s understood that Arsenal want to pay around £59m for Sesko, whereas RB Leipzig are holding out for something closer to £67m.
And if a deal for Sesko ultimately can’t be agreed then Gyokeres could easily come back into the situation as explained.
Pressed for a percentage split on whether Arsenal are likely to sign Sesko or Gyokeres this summer, Bailey said that he considered it to be 60/40 in favour of the RB Leipzig man right now.
And if Arsenal’s striker search was compared to a Formula 1 grid, with Sesko in pole position, someone like Gyokeres could easily still take the lead heading into corner one.
Berta will be judged for a long time on the striker decision he makes in north London this summer, and by all accounts, he’s leaving no stone unturned.
