Benjamin Sesko transfer breakthrough gives Andrea Berta perfect start after £5m boost

Arsenal are making advancements in their move for Benjamin Sesko, amid suggestions of a breakthrough with the 22-year-old. The player is thought to be keen on the move despite a pursuit in 2024 ending in the striker signing a new deal with RB Leipzig. The Gunners have outlined to Sesko how much of a priority he is for the north London side.

Arsenal wanted to ensure that they did their work early in the window to give Mikel Arteta the best summer preparation possible with his new players, and that is exactly how sporting director Andrea Berta is operating. Already, a move for Martin Zubimendi is thought to be all but wrapped up, barring a medical and confirmation expected in July due to Real Sociedad’s preference of the deal appearing on next year’s accounts.

Now the Gunners are set to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Spaniard agreed to make the switch to north London. He follows in a long line of former Chelsea teammates and will reunite with Kai Havertz, who has settled well at Arsenal.

The club will only have to pay the £5million release clause plus the player’s wages, which are expected to have dropped since he signed in west London from Athletic Club, which was a world record fee for a goalkeeper at the time. He became Bournemouth’s starter last season, and despite missing five league games finished sixth in the Premier League clean sheet table for keepers with eight.

Fans have scrutinised the club for being slow in the market, a myth that football.londondisproved previously, and for what appears to be the third summer in four years, the club are again on track to complete priority business before pre-season. Berta is key to this and, as football.londonreported previously, has taken a holistic approach to transfers since his arrival, speaking to many representatives to be best prepared to act across multiple targets.

There is so much to do this summer with the club potentially looking to bring in five or more players during this particular market. Based on the known desires from the forward line to the goalkeeper position, it could be both a record-breaking window and one which sees more needle-pushing deals than ever before.

With their rivals Liverpool and Manchester City not standing still and investing big, the pressure has ramped up early on and despite the window being open for just eight days, the expectations have perhaps even gone up. The club will act within their means, not wanting to come close to breaching UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.

They have the freedom to spend, though, and that is obvious in their early moves for Zubimendi and Sesko in particular, with more players wanted which are expected to be costly, too. Yet it might again be in July where the major movements occur.