Arsenal final £63m transfer reality for Arteta as nailed on Thomas Partey replacement found

The transfer window is not officially open yet (unless you're reading this on June 14, 2024 or afterwards, in which case it is) and Arsenal's hearts have already been broken. The pursuit of Benjamin Sesko, which will go down as a wonderful pre-summer striker fight, is over.

He will be remaining at RB Leipzig for the 2024/25 season despite clamour being high and interest from clubs even higher. But the real business is about to get underway.

Euro 2024 and the Copa America will play centre stage for a summer of fun and sagas. Sesko won't be one of them but he was the curtain raiser and support act for a 10-week stretch that will carry plenty of twists and turns. Who will Arsenal's new striker be? Will Arsenal get a new striker? Can anyone be signed to free up Declan Rice? And who ends up with Aaron Ramsdale?

These are just a few of the questions that are still to be answered and it may well take a big portion of the new few months before we know the outcomes. Here, football.london tries to make sense of it all before the real show has even begun.

Sesko new price

He just cannot stay out of the transfer headlines. Reports in Germany say that he will be allowed to leave for just £63million next summer despite signing a new contract which theoretically keeps him at RB Leipzig until 2029.

It is expected that the Slovenian forward will be on his way to another club next summer regardless of there no longer being a release clause in his deal, with plenty of teams chasing his signature. As opposed to the £55million he was available for this year, Leipzig have already taken the contract opportunity to ramp up the price.

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Just two months ago his initial release clause was at £43million. The big question is who will still be in the market in 12 months time, and whether Sesko will be able to back up the talk with performances at the European Championships and in Bundesliga between now and then.

football.london says: It's very plausible that in 12 months time even £63million for Sesko looks like a good deal. In reality it is only £8million more than Arsenal were willing to pay now. So unless he has a bit of a rotter (and his raw talent suggests he's probably only going to keep getting better) then we can expect a similar battle in the summer of 2025.

This isn't a bad thing. Whoever lands him will be getting a player with another year of top-flight experience and likely another step closer to being one of Europe's best. The real issue will be just whether or not Leipzig push that price up even more. They no longer have a release clause to tie him down to, and that could take the numbers sky-high for Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar.

Joao Neves battle

Talking of sky-high. Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, who has a reported release clause himself of £102million, is now the centre of plenty of attention from Premier League clubs.

Arsenal are one of them with Manchester United and Chelsea also linked. Now it is Liverpool that are said to be in the mix as Arne Slot prepares to oversee a host of changes at Anfield.

Portuguese media suggest that the Reds are readying a formal offer for Neves. Arsenal, meanwhile, have turned their attentions towards him with Martin Zubimendi links going dry and Bruno Guimaraes looking set to stay at Newcastle.

As Liverpool prepare their proposal Arsenal remain in the party of clubs watching the situation. Neves will be one to keep tabs on during the upcoming Euros with a possible starting spot on the cards.

football.london says: There's a lot about Neves that does scream Arsenal's name. He is a genuine box-to-box with fantastic physical abilities for a 19-year-old, and although there are big shoes to fill with the standards set by Thomas Partey in recent seasons, he would be a wonderful alternative.

There are three main issues though. One is the price. £100million is a lot of money for another midfielder not geared towards scoring or defending, even though Neves can do a bit of both. It's almost certainly too much unless Arsenal receive some surprisingly sizeable offers for those they are willing to sell this summer as well.

Given that they had to stretch to buy Declan Rice for a similar amount it would be quite the step to now lay down the same on someone more talent than immediate quality. Then comes his fit.

Neves has got plenty of everything but he's not the No.6 that it looks like Arsenal would like to sit behind Rice and allow him to roam onwards. Unless they are going to go back to Rice being given more defensive responsibility - which is fine but would limit his wide skillset - then Neves isn't the exact perfect partner.

Then there's just the age thing. He's very young and there is still a long way to go for a player at the start of their journey. Arsenal went big on Rice because he was already that good. Neves would therefore be a risk and not the sort that Arsenal tend to go for.