Arsenal hatch Benjamin Sesko transfer plan as Edu targets striker 'better than Erling Haaland'

Benjamin Sesko is said to have made a huge decision regarding his future amid links to Arsenal. The 21-year-old was thought to be high on the Gunners' list of targets going into the summer transfer window.

football.london understands that Edu is keen to sign a forward in the coming months as it's believed a clinical frontman is needed to take Mikel Arteta's squad to the next level. It looks unlikely that Sesko will move to Emirates Stadium this window, however.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Slovenian has put pen to paper on a new contract at RB Leipzig. "Benjamin Sesko has decided to stay at RB Leipzig and sign new contract on improved terms! Decision made for talented striker, similar to what Haaland decided back in the days at BVB," Romano said on social media platform X.

"Sesko will stay at Leipzig with a new gentlemen agreement for future exit." At the age of 21, it's highly possible that Sesko could still secure a move to the Premier League after another year of development at RB Leipzig.

The striker, who is part of Slovenia's Euro 2024 squad, made 42 appearances for RB Leipzig last season, scoring 18 goals and assisting two. He rarely played the full 90 minutes, however, so another season in the Bundesliga will give him a further 12 months to work on his game while playing week in, week out.

Arsenal already have Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard and Reiss Nelson as forward options at the club, too, so Arteta is not light on options if the Gunners choose to wait for Sesko and sign him next summer. Interestingly, Premier League icon Didi Hamann believes another season in Germany will be good for Sesko.

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Speaking to Prime Casino, the former Liverpool man said: "I don't think another season with Leipzig will do him any harm, to be honest. He is still a very young player who is developing and learning.

"When he came to Salzburg when he was 15 or 16, people I spoke with at the club said he was better than [Erling] Haaland was when he joined them as a youngster. They said he was a more natural finisher, more talented, and his overall game was better than Haaland’s. I can see that. I think he's got everything a top striker needs.

"At the beginning of the season, he was mainly used from the bench as an impact player. He only became a starter late in the season, but he had a huge impact whenever he came on and he scored some fantastic goals."

The Gunners narrowly missed out on winning the Premier League title last season, with Manchester City topping the table by two points. According to Hamann, Sesko is the type of player who could be the difference if Arsenal want to win major honours.

"Has he got the capabilities to play in the Premier League? Absolutely. He’s been linked with Arsenal, and I think he is exactly the type of player that Arsenal need in their squad," the German said.

"A striker with Sesko’s profile is really the only player that Arsenal are missing at the moment. If you want to win the Premier League, you need to have options up front and in the way that you want to play, Arsenal lacked that last season.

"Arsenal probably want to sign him now because there’s a danger they could miss out on him if they wait for a year. I can see why they’re interested in bringing him in. I'd love to see him in the Premier League. I think another season playing for Leipzig wouldn't do him any harm, but at the same time, if he does go to Arsenal, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a huge success."