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News
- 58 minutes ago
EXCLUSIVE: Sesko stuns Arsenal with release clause demand
Suraj Radia
- 19 Jun 2025 18:30 BST
- 5 min read
Exclusive
Benjamin Sesko wants a release clause in his contract if he is to join Arsenal from RB Leipzig this summer, The Transfers Podcast understands.
Sesko is among Arsenal’s top targets to strengthen up front, with Mikel Arteta hoping to sign either the 21-year-old or Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres as his new number nine this summer, with the club’s choice likely to depend on which negotiations go smoother.
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However, Arsenal have already made a ‘verbal’ offer of €65 million including bonuses for Gyokeres, which was rejected, with Sesko potentially being considered a ‘Plan B’, while a move for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins cannot be ‘ruled out’, according to Duncan Castles.
Current ETV
Benjamin Šeško
F (C)
RB Leipzig
Benjamin Šeško
F (C)
RB Leipzig
ETV Range
€60.2M - €73.6M
Castles made a stunning revelation on the latest episode of The Transfers Podcast, stating that Arsenal would be ‘unlikely’ to agree to Sesko’s demands of a release clause that was just a ‘20% premium’ over the fee that the Gunners end up paying to Leipzig.
“I understand that Sesko is asking for an exit clause on any deal he agrees with Arsenal and he would like that release clause to be set at just 20% increase on whatever price they end up paying for him.
“It’s quite unusual to ask for something like that when you’re moving from, let’s say a second-tier European club to one that is perceived as a first-tier club and one of the most financially affluent clubs in European football and I think it’s unlikely that Arsenal would agree to a deal on those terms.”
’Outrageous’ Sesko demand could lead Arsenal to Gyokeres
Transfer expert Ronan Murphy suggested Arsenal could prefer a player with the mentality of Gyokeres, who is believed to have prioritised a move to the Gunners in order to compete at the highest level instead of joining a team still building a project.
“It seems outrageous," Murphy said on The Transfers Podcast. "I know in some leagues it's the law, so you have to have them like in Spain, but then what you end up seeing is Real Madrid signing a player and they confirmed that his release clause is a billion or something astronomical.
“But when you move to a team like Arsenal, you as Arsenal don't want to be seen as a stepping stone club. Arsenal probably want someone with the mindset of Gyokeres, who is there to win trophies and there to play in the Champions League and to achieve as much as possible, not necessarily be thinking about the next step down the line.
“The expectation would be that he's there forever, essentially, and that you don't want your player coming in and already with his foot in the door considering what else might be out there.”
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Premier League
Arsenal
Aston Villa
RB Leipzig
Sporting CP
Benjamin Sesko
Ollie Watkins
Viktor Gyökeres
