Arsenal make final decision on Gyokeres as ‘hugely frustrating’ Sesko transfer issue emerges

Arsenal are reportedly preparing a ‘formal proposal’ for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres amid issues over a Benjamin Sesko transfer.

The Gunners have been looking to finally sign a new centre-forward this summer after fans, pundits and former players had urged them for a couple of years to make a big investment in attack.

Arsenal need to sign a striker, as their failure to do so in the last few transfer windows cost them in the 2024/25 season, and Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are pursuing a couple of players.

Speaking over the weekend, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg insisted he was “totally convinced Sesko will play for Arsenal” next season.

Plettenberg brought another update on Tuesday, he wrote on X: ‘Two clubs from Saudi Arabia are pushing to sign Benjamin #Sesko! However, his preference is clear: he wants to stay in Europe. #Arsenal and Sesko are working on the details to reach an agreement. The deal is on.’

But a report on Wednesday in TBR Football insisted that there are now ‘worries’ on Sesko’s side that Arsenal will pursue a deal for Gyokeres as Leipzig stand firm on theirn valuation of the Slovenia international.

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The report added that the 22-year-old is ‘hugely frustrated’ by Leipzig’s decision to ‘stand very firm on their valuation’ after his representatives ‘believed they had an agreement to move for less than €70m (£59m)’ but the German club are ‘now insisting on an overall deal worth €80m (£67m)’.

Fabrizio Romano wrote in his GiveMeSport newsletter: “It’s an open race for Gyokeres.

“He remains on Arsenal list in case Sesko deal doesn’t happen, Man United have called his agents again over the weekend.”

And now Portuguese newspaper A Bola has claimed that Sesko’s agent, Hasan Çetinkaya, ‘met with the London club to hear the conditions and requirements for formalizing a proposal with Sporting’ on Wednesday.

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Arsenal have ‘taken a step forward’ as ‘official contacts’ with Sporting CP are to follow and the Gunners ‘should be the first club to come forward with a concrete and formal proposal for the signing of Gyokeres.’

Arteta’ side are ‘in a hurry to conclude this process regarding the signing of an attacking reference’ and it will be ‘necessary to raise the bar to €60m+€10m to convince Frederico Varandas to open the negotiating table’.

The next step ‘is to move forward to direct negotiations to reach an understanding between all parties involved’ with Gyokeres – who Arsenal have ‘never lost sight of’ – described as a ‘great ally’ for the Gunners to get a deal done.

Former Arsenal striker Paul Dickov insists there are “good signs” for the Gunners that Sesko could be a good signing if they sign him over Gyokeres.

Dickov told BestBettingSites.com: “He’s one of the few strikers in the game who looks like a real, out-and-out No. 9. He’s tall, he’s quick, and he’s strong for a big man. He’s really good technically and he scores goals. Lots of them.

“With his age, you’d think the ceiling would be pretty high in terms of improvement. He’s got good pedigree in the Bundesliga and he did the business when he was given an opportunity in the Champions League, so those are good signs for Arsenal.

“But the thing about Arsenal needing a world class number nine, they’re very hard to get. Any player coming into the Premier League, it’s going to take them time to adjust.

“They’ve been linked with the likes of Sesko, Alvarez, Osimhen and Gyokeres – they’re obviously going to bring in someone – whoever it is, needs to come in and hit the ground running because I think there will be a lot of eyeballs on the player that they do sign.

“The one thing Arsenal have missed out on the last couple of years, stating the obvious, it’s a striker. The task at hand is actually getting one of them through the door.”

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