Arsenal already know perfect Benjamin Sesko alternative as Mikel Arteta eyes dream £84m transfer

Arsenal already know who to sign instead of Benjamin Sesko this summer. The 21-year-old striker was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium before choosing to sign a new contract at RB Leipzig.

Sesko featured 31 times in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 14 goals and providing two assists. Playing a key role in Marco Rose's side, the Slovenia international fired the German club into fourth place to secure Champions League qualification.

His impressive performances reportedly courted the interest of some top clubs in Europe, including Arsenal and Chelsea. In fact, football.london understands that the Gunners liked Sesko, but any potential deal always remained some way from completion with Leipzig eager to tie him down to a new deal.

And that's exactly what they've done. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Slovenian has decided to put pen to paper on an improved contract at the Red Bull Arena. The report states that, while Sesko will remain at Leipzig this summer, there's a 'gentlemen agreement' in place for a potential move in the future.

With the striker now off the market, Arsenal must throw the kitchen sink at a deal that brings Alexander Isak to London Colney. The 24-year-old striker featured 30 times for Newcastle United in the Premier League this season, scoring 21 goals – which ranked him third in the golden boot charts.

According to The Independent, the Gunners are hoping to sign a new striker before pre-season begins next month – and Isak has been noted as the 'preferred option'. The report states that Arsenal are aware the Magpies will likely refuse to sell the Sweden international.

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The Independent add that the north Londoners want to at least see if a deal is possible, but they don't want to engage themselves in a long-drawn saga. According to the CIES Football Observatory, Isak's currently valued at £84.3m (€100m), with his contract at St James' Park set to expire in June 2028.

The Swede would be a far better addition to Arteta's starting lineup than Sesko – and it always helps when you're regularly compared to an Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry. Speaking to BetVictor in April, Harry Redknapp claimed there's not many better strikers in the world than Isak.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss said: "People have compared this lad to Thierry Henry and you can see those comparisons. He’s not quite at that level yet but he’s got the lot and there’s not many strikers in world football better than him."

On TNT Sports following Newcastle's 4-0 win over Spurs, Peter Crouch said: "How many times did you see Thierry go through on goal and panic? It’s the same with Isak, if he goes through on a one-on-one you’re just always confident he’ll score.

"He’s someone I just love watching, so calm when he gets in those positions, obviously he cut [Micky] Van de Ven up a few times today and he seems to just do the right decisions all the time.

"When he goes through one-on-one he’s so calm and just knows he’s going to score," added the former Liverpool striker. "Great feet and he just leads the line so well, it’s a difficult thing to do as a centre forward to lead the line on your own."

Then, Anthony Gordon added: "It’s hard to describe, you don’t need me to tell you he’s so so gifted, he can be one of the best players in the world. When he stays fit he’s so, so good to play with, the assist I got for him, I just passed him the ball and he sat a few players down so that was all him. What a player and more importantly what a person."