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Alex Brotherton
Arsenal and Chelsea have suffered a major blow to their plans to sign a new striker this summer.
The two London rivals have had very different seasons; Arsenal are lately fighting for the Premier League title, while Chelsea have spent much of the crusade sitting in the middle of the table.
However, despite their other fortunes, both clubs have been missing a prolific striker this season.
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Nicolas Jackson has had a frustrating season at Stamford Bridge and has been largely overshadowed by midfielder Cole Palmer.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has stepped up as the season has progressed, he will never be a 25-goal-per-season striker.
The two clubs are a move for RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko, a striker on the Bundesliga’s official online website compared to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, and not just because of his imposing figure.
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The 20-year-old scored 16 goals and provided two assists in 40 appearances in all competitions in his first season in Germany after joining Leipzig from sister club Red Bull Salzburg last summer.
Sesko has had a decided sense of purpose; He scored 59 goals in 23 games while playing at the U15 level in his home Slovenia.
It’s no surprise that Arsenal and Chelsea are licking their lips, but the signing of Sesko may prove more expensive than expected despite there being a buyout clause in his contract.
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According to Sky Sports journalist Philipp Hinze, the price of the clause, which will come into effect this summer, has been higher since the January transfer window as it is based on performance.
In January, the clause amounted to €50 million (£43 million), but at a decisive moment of the season, that figure increased to €65 million (£55. 7 million).
The term of the clause is affected by playing time, goals and assists.
In the first part of the Bundesliga season, Sesko scored 3 goals in 14 appearances. In the second half, he scored nine goals and two assists in 15 appearances.
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According to Hinze, any club wishing to sign Sesko could have to fork out up to €75 million (£64. 3 million).
AC Milan are reportedly interested in the Slovenian striker, who will face England at Euro 2024 this summer.
A buyout clause allowed Manchester City to sign Erling Haaland for around £52m in 2022, but whoever wins the race for Sesko will most likely end up paying much more than that.
Topics: Arsenal, Chelsea, Transfer News, Premier League, RB Leipzig, Erling Haaland
Alex Brotherton is sports trends editor at SPORTbible. In the past he has worked with publications such as Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also plays tennis and American football. He enjoys running and cooking and watching outdoor league soccer.
@alex_brotherton
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