Benjamin Sesko's agent moves to 'clarify a few things' amid Arsenal 'agreement'
Slovenia and RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is one of the most in-demand strikers this summer and his agent has spoken about the future of the Arsenal-linked frontman
Benjamin Sesko's agent Elvis Basanovic has denied putting any pressure on RB Leipzig to lower their asking price for the striker. Sesko is understood to have agreed personal terms with Premier League side Arsenal, but the Gunners still have work to do.
Leipzig are prepared to sell Sesko after missing out on Champions League qualification, but only if they receive a hefty fee - thought to be north of £60million. Basanovic believes all will become clear in due course, but moved to "clarify" the situation and insisted he wouldn't push for a lower fee out of respect for the Bundesliga side.
'This is far from truth!" he told Givemesport when asked about rumours of leaning on Leipzig over their asking price "We respect RB Leipzig and I am 100% convinced RB Leipzig will also respect our decision for the next step when we decide to do it."
He addedL "Even if there may be - or will be - a strong desire of the player to move to a certain club, we will never force or blackmail RB Leipzig. I believe this is not the right way, because the way you actually exit from the club shows your values. Values that you are bringing into a new club.
"I can understand in very big transfers, there are a lot of different interests but no matter what, I believe in football world should be more respect. So that's why we do things in the right way or we don't do them. It's very simple, even maybe in the media it looks very complicated."
Sesko scored 21 goals in all competitions for Leipzig last season, with 13 of those coming in the Bundesliga. That was enough for him to finish the season as his team's top scorer, but a late-season collapse saw their European hopes go up in smoke.
With five games to go, Leipzig sat in the fourth and final Champions League qualification place. They won none of those last five, though, and that saw them miss out on European qualification altogether.
Sesko was linked with an Arsenal switch in the summer of 2024 as well, only to instead sign a new contract at his current club. That deal runs until 2029, though he could yet leave sooner.
"We have a team with great potential and a balanced mix of young and experienced players. I'm really looking forward to taking the next steps with this team," Sesko said when his extension was confirmed.
"We've already achieved a lot in my first season and often shown the amount of quality and outstanding football we can bring to the pitch. But there's still a lot more to be done and that's now our common goal."
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