‘I rejected Man Utd for one reason - now I could join Arsenal in big-money deal’

Arsenal transfer target Benjamin Sesko once snubbed rivals Manchester United.

The RB Leipzig striker, 21, has emerged as the solution to Arsenal’s attacking woes this January transfer window. Mikel Arteta’s side are in need of a clinical out-and-out striker as they look to keep pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Kai Havertz’s poor form, as well as a long-term injury to Gabriel Jesus, has increased speculation in recent weeks regarding the Gunners’ pursuit of Sesko, who was linked with a move to the north Londoners last summer.

Arteta missed out on the Slovenian forward, however, as he opted to remain in Germany for another year and signed a new deal with Leipzig until 2029. And a year prior, when Sesko still played for sister club Red Bull Salzburg, he rejected United in favour of the Bundesliga outfit.

Sesko explained at the time that he thought it was “better” to join Leipzig because the style of play was a better fit and one that he was accustomed to at Salzburg. “It was very important for me to go to a place that plays a similar style of football. I already knew what I had to do and didn’t have to go through a whole learning process again,” he said.

Recognising his need for a striker ahead of the current season, Arsenal boss Arteta showed interest in Sesko the following year in 2024. But the youngster once again made a decision based on what will benefit his career most, which was to stay at Leipzig for another year.

His new deal removed the £55million release clause in his previous contract, while some reports claimed Sesko had negotiated a gentleman’s agreement to let him leave for £60m in the summer of 2025. Mirror Footballrevealed last May that Sesko favours a move to the Gunners. Yet despite their renewed interest in signing him, the Athletic claim he's unlikely to leave Germany this month.

The player's agent, Elvis Basanovic, was at a loss to explain where recent rumours regarding a January loan move have come from, with no dialogue taking place with the north London outfit. He told GiveMeSport: “I don’t know where this story has come from but I have never talked with Arsenal about a loan move for Sesko.”

He then shut down the idea, adding: “Sesko is not a player for loans and this was never a topic with Arsenal or any other club. If you ask me if Sesko will move in January, I can only say Sesko is a RB Leipzig player and fully focused on that."

However, Basanovic was more coy about whether Sesko can end up in north London in the future, telling Slovenian TV channel Arena Sport: "I think you should ask Mr. Arteta about that. But I think Sesko could suit many clubs because he has different football skills. He can play alone in attack, with two strikers, a little further back, he has height, speed, technical speed."

He confirmed that a future move will only be weighed up if it suits the player's development, highlighting how much Sesko has improved even since signing a new deal last summer. "We can see that our decision was correct, six months later he is already a better striker than he was last season,” Basanovic said.

“What he lacks is experience. We must not forget that he is only 21 years old, so we did not want him to go to the Premier League in the summer. There were concrete options, but we consciously decided to stay in the Bundesliga to give him time to progress and develop into a better striker."

Asked what kind of fee it would take for Leipzig to consider a January sale, Sesko's representative was firm in his response, adding: "I don't think Leipzig would be satisfied with any compensation at the moment, Leipzig does not want to sell Benjamin Sesko because they really value him immensely."

It is understood that Arsenal will face competition for Sesko’s signature from several European clubs if they wait until the summer to land him. Barcelona are said to be interested, though their financial restrictions will be a hurdle.

The Gunners, meanwhile, may have to explore other potential market opportunities this transfer window based on the aforementioned reports. Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic are other names linked with the Premier League side, who trail leaders Liverpool by six points having played a game more.