Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta’s most imperative task of the summer window is finally ending the club’s long wait for a prolific natural striker, and it’s been widely reported that two names are at the top of his shortlist.
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The men in question, of course, are Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Over the last few weeks, many reliable media sources have shared that Berta is simultaneously working on deals for both Sesko and Gyokeres – before deciding which move would be best suited to Arsenal’s needs.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
However, given the sheer size of these transfers, talks are proving complex and don’t appear likely to be done any time soon.
Gyokeres is very keen on joining Arsenal and prioritising a move to the Emirates, according to Fabrizio Romano, but his situation at Sporting has grown toxic recently amid a public fallout with their club president, Frederico Varandas.
Sesko, meanwhile, is also eager to link-up with Mikel Arteta, as per recent reports, but there are discrepancies surrounding the cost of a potential deal – with Sky Germany even reporting he could be priced up to £85 million despite the presence of a release clause.
Given the deals for Sesko and Gyokeres are miles from straightforward, it is wise for Berta to have alternatives, with journalist Duncan Castles sharing a left-field striker who’s also on Arsenal’s radar.
Arsenal eyeing "surprise" Nicolas Jackson move
Speaking on The Transfers Podcast, Castles reports that the man is Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegal international enjoyed an excellent start to 2024/2025, scoring nine goals in his first 15 Premier League games, but has tailed off since the turn of the year, partly due to injury.
Jackson was also sent off in Chelsea’s 3-1 Club World Cup defeat to Flamengo recently, just minutes after replacing Liam Delap, and the consensus is that he could be sold this summer.
Chelsea will demand up to £51 million to sell him (Fabrizio Romano), though, so he won’t be a cheap option.
In any case, Arsenal have identified Jackson as a “surprise” striker target, with Castles explaining exactly why.
“There’s one more name that I’ve become aware of this week, which may come as a surprise, which is Nicolas Jackson, the striker who’s had an interesting time in his two years at Chelsea,” Castles revealed, when discussing Arsenal’s striker plans.
“Chelsea have always been looking for either adding someone else in that position or replacing him totally. Chelsea say they’re not actively looking to sell Jackson in this window, but he’s not one of the untouchable figures within their squad.
“The guidance I have on where Arsenal are on this is that this broad range of options is deliberate. They want to ensure that they get a centre-forward for Arteta in this window and don’t feel like they did last summer.
“They will do one of these deals. They’re telling the representatives of the players involved that what it will come down to is the deal that they believe makes the best sense to the club.”
