Arsenal's £76m transfer alternative 'revealed' as links with lethal striker resurface

Arsenal are once again being linked with a move for their long-term transfer target Benjamin Sesko, despite the Slovenian international signing a contract extension with his current club RB Leipzig earlier this summer.

Sesko, 21, had been viewed as the answer to the Gunners’ attacking issues and was set to be a prime target in the recently concluded transfer window. He was also reportedly of interest to Arsenal’s Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United but opted to sign an extension with the Bundesliga club instead, thus putting an end to any potential departures this summer.

However, reports from CaughtOffside have claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side, who would not go on to sign a new striker in the transfer window, remain keen on the Slovenian and are still optimistic that they can bring him to the Emirates.

The report adds that some talks are already underway ahead of next summer in order to prevent any of Arsenal’s rivals from stealing their long-term target.

Before his contract extension, Sesko had a release clause of £55 million but with his deal now seeing him supposedly remain at the Red Bull Arena until 2029, it is believed Leipzig will also have increased their valuation of the star, although an exact figure is not yet known.

If Arsenal remain unable to secure the signing of Sesko, CaughtOffside’s report also notes that they have identified a potential alternative in Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram.

France international Thuram is already off to a flying start in Serie A this season, scoring four goals in three fixtures. He scored 13 goals and contributed seven assists in 35 Serie A matches last season and featured for the Didier Deschamp’s national side as they reached the semi-finals of this summer’s Euros 2024 competition.

Earlier this summer, there was brief noise that Paris Saint-Germain had been interested in acquiring the striker as they sought to bring in new firepower in the absence of Kylian Mbappe.

Inter were said to be willing to part ways with the former Borussia Monchengladbach star for a fee of around £46m. The 2022 World Cup finalist does, however, have a release clause of closer to £72m with additional reports indicating the Serie A champions would not let him leave for a penny less.

Reportedly no contact has yet been made between anyone at the Emirates to Thuram’s camp and it remains to be seen whether him leaving the San Siro Stadium is a realistic prospect, especially when considering such a potentially high purchasing figure.