Arsenal willing to make £80m+ offer for striker with “great attacking IQ”

Arsenal are now willing to make a bid of over £80m for a striker who has a “great attacking IQ”, according to a report.

Mikel Arteta’s search for a striker

Mikel Arteta finds himself light on options in the striker department, with Kai Havertz suffering a season-ending hamstring injury just after the January transfer window came to an end.

As such, Arteta may be inclined to bring in a new striker on a free transfer, and the Gunners have been linked with a move for Leandro Damiao, who has a career total of 219 goals.

However, any out-of-window move would likely be a stop-gap until the end of the season, at which point, the north Londoners will be tasked with bringing in a new forward capable of leading the line for years to come.

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Mikel Arteta considers him a “key” potential addition.

There have been widespread rumours about a number of players making the move to the Emirates Stadium, with Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko among the main strikers linked.

There has now been a new update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Sesko, with reports from Spain suggesting they are willing to make an offer of around €100m (£83m) for the RB Leipzig star.

The willingness to shell out over £80m shows how serious the Gunners are about signing the forward, who they consider a key target, with getting a deal done deemed their main objective for the summer.

However, negotiations with Leipzig are not expected to be easy, with the German club reluctant to sanction the departure of the Slovenian marksman.

Sesko’s goal record in the Bundesliga

It is no wonder Arsenal are so keen on signing the 21-year-old, who has already chalked up 55 appearances in the Bundesliga, given that he has been showing signs of year-on-year improvement.

Since making his breakthrough in the 2021/22 season, the Slovenia international has gone on to establish himself as a key player for Leipzig, and he could yet record his best goal return this term.

Not only that, but the Leipzig star has impressed in the Champions League, with four goals to his name in Europe’s elite competition this season, recently scoring in his side’s 2-1 victory against Sporting CP.

The 6 foot 5 colossus towers over most defenders, but given his ability in possession of the ball, he is not merely a target man, as pointed out by members of the media, who laud him for his “great attacking IQ”.

£80m is a huge amount to pay for any player, but Sesko is showing signs he could go to the very top.