Arsenal have been warned it would be ‘crazy’ to spend even £70m on one of Mikel Arteta’s top transfer targets this summer.
Arteta is desperate to welcome a top goalscorer to the Emirates Stadium this summer after his Arsenal side went a fifth successive season without a trophy.
Arsenal’s decision not to sign a new striker already looked questionable last summer but the issues were compounded by an injury crisis in the second-half of the season which forced central midfielder Mikel Merino to play as a makeshift No. 9.
The Gunners have been linked with moves for Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike but none of those will come cheaply.
RB Leipzig want around £85m to sell Sesko, who is currently believed to be Arteta’s first-choice, but Arsenal would be ‘crazy’ to invest a large portion of their transfer kitty on the 22-year-old, according to Frank Leboeuf.
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Sesko scored 13 goals in the Bundesliga last season – one fewer than he managed in the previous campaign – and has 16 goals in 41 appearances for Slovenia.
‘The top people at clubs, if it’s not their money they don’t care, they will spend it,’ Leboeuf told ESPN. ‘If the money was coming out of their bank account they would be more careful and cautious.
‘That’s crazy [RB Leipzig’s valuation for Sesko]. You have so many examples of clubs who have spent big money on players from smaller clubs.
‘Sesko plays for Leipzig, they are a family club and Arsenal are going to launch him into the Premier League?
‘What is the guarantee you have that Sesko is going to produce? And you’re going to spend 80m euros on him? Look at Jadon Sancho, Darwin Nunez and so many others.’
Sesko discussed the speculation surrounding his future at RB Leipzig last week, telling reporters: ‘The club has given me a lot and continues to give me a lot every day. It’s a great club to develop at.’
He added that in the future he wants to ‘play for a club that suits me’ and ‘brings out the best in me’ but is taking things ‘day by day’.
Gyokeres could be a cheaper option than Sesko but is believed to want a mammoth contract worth almost £300,000-a-week.
If Arsenal decide on Gyokeres, they will also face competition from Manchester United to sign the Sporting Lisbon striker, who scored 54 goals last season.
While searching for a new striker, Arsenal are also looking to wrap up a £51m deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
Arteta is keen to bolster his midfield options and is a known admirer of Zubimendi, who helped Spain win Euro 2024 last summer.
Zubimendi’s likely arrival at the Emirates Stadium will compensate for Jorginho’s departure from Arsenal and Thomas Partey’s potential exit.
Partey, who will become a free agent next month, is yet to agree a new deal with the Gunners and has held talks with several clubs, including Barcelona.
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