Man United and Arsenal plot January move for top striker, whose ‘agreement’ makes transfer possible

Man United and Arsenal plot January move for top striker, whose ‘agreement’ makes transfer possible

Sources exclusively disclosed to TEAMtalk that Manchester United and Arsenal are considering a bid for RB Leipzig center-forward Benjamin Sesko.

At the beginning of the summer, the 21-year-old was strongly connected to a move to Arsenal, but he ultimately chose to stay with Leipzig because he believed it would be best for his development.

Sesko’s decision to stay led to a new contract that eliminated a €65 million (£55.3 million, $70.8 million) release clause and greatly improved Sesko’s income.

He has a “gentleman’s agreement” with Leipzig that may allow him to leave the team in 2025, in addition to another release provision in his new contract.

This has given hope to Man Utd and Arsenal, who are both keeping close tabs on Sesko’s situation. He is unlikely to move in January but the chances of him leaving next summer are high and the Premier League duo are among those keen.

Sesko’s agents have visited both Old Trafford and the Emirates in recent months. Conversations have been held with the club’s representatives to discuss the conditions of a potential transfer.

Sesko also wants guaranteed game time and the opportunity to be a consistent first-team player, per TEAMtalk sources.

Chelsea ultimately prioritised a move for Victor Osimhen but failed to bring him in. However, sources say the Blues have maintained contact with the Nigerian forward who is still their number one target.

Bayern have strong interest in Sesko but the player is reluctant to make the switch as he knows he would be playing second fiddle to Harry Kane, who has been on fire since joining from Tottenham last summer.

If Arsenal aren’t able to lure Sesko to the Emirates, it’s thought that they could turn their attention to Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram as their backup option.

Thuram and Sesko are two of six strikers that the Gunners have on their shortlist as Mikel Arteta looks to bring in a prolific front man to compete with Kai Havertz.

It’s thought that Arsenal have a ‘growing appreciation’ for the Thuram, who scored 13 Serie A goals last season in 35 appearances.

However, Sesko remains a target for Arsenal and contact between the club and his entourage is continuing over a potential deal in the January window

But the 21-year-old Slovenia striker prefers to model his game on another towering continental goal machine.

“Zlatan Ibrahimovic was my idol,” he told The Guardian in 2023. “I’m not saying I play like him but he was having fun, enjoying himself on the pitch, doing what he wanted to do. It makes me really happy when I see that kind of player. Every single video I could find, I was looking at him.”

Sesko joined RB Leipzig for €24m (£20m) in the summer of 2023 and, after a solid if unspectacular first half of his debut Bundesliga season, he hit an electric patch of form to close out the campaign, scoring in seven consecutive games to take his tally for the term to 18 goals and two assists in 42 appearances.