Arsenal ‘fed up’ with Gyokeres transfer saga and switch to £70m target ‘in last few hours’

Arsenal have turned their attentions to RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko after growing ‘fed up’ with Sporting’s demands for Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports in Portugal.

The Gunners have made signing a new striker their absolute priority for the summer after once again finishing the season without any silverware under Mikel Arteta.

The club’s inactivity over the last two transfer windows has drawn intense criticism from supporters and pundits alike – and season-ending injuries to both Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz only intensified the sense of frustration amongst the fanbase in the second half of the campaign.

Determined to put things right, Arsenal’s newly appointed sporting director, Andrea Berta, is working tirelessly behind the scenes with a view to adding firepower to Arteta’s attack, with Gyokeres identified as the north Londoners’ primary target.

Gyokeres further established himself as one of the most sought-after centre-forwards in world football last season as he racked up 54 goals and 13 assists to help steer Sporting to a domestic double.

But while Gyokeres is keen to push through a switch to the Emirates, the player’s agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, has become embroiled in a bitter feud with Sporting’s president, Frederico Varandas, over a proposed transfer fee for the Primeira Liga top scorer.

Gyokeres had been under the impression he could leave Sporting should the club receive an offer of £59million, but Varandas is denying the existence of a supposed gentleman’s agreement with the Swede’s camp.

According to Portuguese outlet Record, this has prompted Arsenal to ‘freeze’ their pursuit of Gyokeres, with Sporting’s €80million (£68m) asking price deemed too expensive for a 27-year-old with no previous experience in Europe’s top five leagues.

As a result, it’s claimed Gyokeres is no longer Arsenal’s number-one target. Instead, Sesko has been placed at the top of the club’s shortlist ‘in the last few hours’.

The report suggests Arsenal also remain keen on Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins following an unsuccessful £60m bid for the England international in the January transfer window.

Arsenal have been in discussions with RB Leipzig over a possible move for Sesko since last month, but there has been little progress regarding a proposed deal, with the Bundesliga club demanding £70m for the Slovenian.

The Gunners may also have to fend off strong competition from Saudi Pro League outfit A-Hilal to land the 22-year-old attacker this summer.

‘Benjamin Sesko and Saudi Arabia? I would advise him to never go there, at least not at his age,’ Slovenia’s head coach Matjaz Kek said of Al-Hilal’s links to Sesko.

Though Kek enjoyed his time managing Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, he is convinced Sesko should only be considering Europe’s top clubs.

On the interest Sesko has attracted from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan and Juventus, Kek said: ‘This is a great recognition, these are clubs that mean a lot.

‘It’s not that I underestimate the Saudi Pro League. On the contrary, I worked there at Al-Ittihad and the club is still a part of me.

‘I also watch the league regularly… but the time will come for Benjamin Sesko for that.

‘I am convinced that Benjamin himself and the people who care for him will be smart enough to make the right solution.

‘That means going somewhere where he can play football because that is the only way he can be happy.’

Sesko was named in Slovenia’s squad for the side’s friendly matches against Luxembourg and Bosnia and Herzegovina this month.

However, the former Red Bull Salzburg man played no part in either contest to avoid the risk of injury, with talks over his future rumbling on behind the scenes.

Sesko has notched 39 goals in 87 games for RB Leipzig and is tied into a deal at Red Bull Arena until June 2029.

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