Arsenal may have now suffered a blow to their summer transfer plans amid reports of a striker target now being offered a new contract.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar are set to oversee a summer of change, with several potential departures and arrivals on the cards.
A host of homegrown talent could leave the club including Aaron Ramsdale, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.
And then there’s Thomas Partey, perhaps the only member of the current Arsenal XI who could face an exit.
Of course, nothing is set in stone in that regard, and it does feel as if Arteta and Edu will need to wait until some of those futures are resolved before executing their next move.
That being said, it’s now becoming clearer as to what kind of profiles could arrive at the Emirates this summer.
It was long thought that Arsenal would buy a superstar striker, a goalscorer who could better the tally of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah combined.
But with Kai Havertz now thriving as a false nine, it seems the club will look to invest in more of a ‘project player’.
Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko has now been offered a new contract at RB Leipzig
In that respect, it seems as though Brighton & Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson or RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko may be the most appealing options.
And with Brighton likely to demand a huge fee for Ferguson, a deal for £56m-rated Sesko seems much more feasible.
Arsenal are said to be very keen on the ‘incredible’ striker who is showing a ton of potential, even if he’s still a little raw in aspects.
But with that in mind, Arsenal may have just suffered a blow to their plans.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has just shared an update on X detailing that Sesko has now been offered a new contract at Leipzig.
The German side want the 20-year-old to stay for one more year and have offered a deal on better terms.
Romano explained: “RB Leipzig have made contact with Benjamin Šeško’s agent in recent days to offer new lucrative contract.
“Several top clubs want Šeško this summer, especially from PL.
“Leipzig offer new deal and key-player project to stay for one more year. Up to Šeško.”
Arsenal will need to trigger Sesko’s release clause before the end of June
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all hope is lost for Arsenal just yet, given Sesko does currently have an active release clause.
Unless he agrees a new deal beforehand, Sesko is available for a fee of £56m until the end of June according to German journalist Philipp Hinze.
Sesko’s performances have been attracting a lot of attention as mentioned, and perhaps Arteta would love to be the manager to shape his future.
The Slovenian has a different skill-set to that of Jesus or Havertz, and could complement either in north London.
All that being said, one pundit has actually suggested that Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak should be the player Arsenal target this summer.