Arsenal have tabled €100m (£83m) in an effort to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko before their competitors this summer, according to reports.
The Gunners are currently in the midst of an injury crisis at the Emirates Stadium after both Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz were ruled out for the rest of the season.
Jesus picked up his injury last month and there was hope that his German team-mate would last without serious injury for the duration of the campaign – but Arsenal got the terrible news on Wednesday that Havertz would miss months after tearing his hamstring in a Dubai training session.
Arsenal made the decision in the summer to prioritise other signings over a new centre-forward with Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, David Raya, Raheem Sterling and Neto arriving.
The Gunners had the opportunity to enter the market in January for a new centre-forward but deals for Sesko and Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak were seen as unrealistic in the winter.
Arsenal did make a bid of around £40m for England international Ollie Watkins but that was swiftly rejected by Aston Villa, who wanted over £60m for the 29-year-old.
And, despite being offered Spain international Alvaro Morata and other strikers on loan, Mikel Arteta had to settle to end the season with the squad that he has.
But it now looks likely that they won’t be making that mistake again with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insisting they will make an “important investment” for a striker in the summer.
Romano wrote on X: “Even after update on Kai Havertz’s injury requiring surgery, Arsenal plan remain the same: find internal solutions and focus on big signing in the summer.
“Important investment planned on striker for the summer window (Sesko and Isak the fav names)… and winger too.”
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Romano also revealed that Arsenal tried for Sesko in January, he wrote in GiveMeSport on Thursday: “In January, Arsenal definitely tried to make things happen by calling RB Leipzig again for Benjamin Sesko, but there was no chance to negotiate with the German side for a mid-season sale. ‘Untouchable’ was the answer from Leipzig, but in the summer it will be different.
“There was not even the chance to ask for Alexander Isak, as Newcastle were never selling their main man at this point of the season.
“Arsenal made concrete steps to proceed on a deal for Ollie Watkins in the final days of the window, but Aston Villa closed the doors once they sold Jhon Duran to Al Nassr with Unai Emery very clear in public – and in private – with the club’s board: no chance to sell Watkins after Duran. That’s why the January market plan was really difficult for Arsenal.”
But now reports in Spain claim that Arsenal will now ‘strike first and put €100m (£83m) on the table’ amid interest from Barcelona.
The Catalan giants see Sesko as the ‘new Robert Lewandowski’ as they look for a replacement for the Poland legend but the Gunners will ‘blow up the operation’ with their bid.
The €100m is ‘a figure that is impossible for Barca to match at the moment’ and Arteta ‘ruins the signing’ for the La Liga side, who are still ‘going through a delicate financial situation’.
Arsenal ‘have everything in their favour to close the signing and steal from Barça what could have been their star striker of the future’ and Barcelona will now look at Victor Gyokeres and Isak as alternatives.
