Chelsea working hard to convince prolific striker to abandon Arsenal dream and join Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge

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• EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey

HITC understands that RB Leipzig are expecting Benjamin Sesko to decide his future before the start of the 2024 European Championships.

We have previously reported that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal had settled on the Slovenian forward and the RB Leipzig striker was keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Despite the solid performances of Kai Havertz towards the end of the season, the Gunners are understood to be keen on adding a striker to their team and the 21-year-old Benjamin Sesko looks set to be that man.

Sesko has emerged as one of the most wanted strikers in Europe this summer and Arsenal are battling with Chelsea to land the Slovenian superstar.

Battle for Sesko

HITC has been told, by sources with knowledge of the situation, that it is a straight fight for the signature of the Slovenian between Arsenal and Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.

That is only if he decides to leave Germany, which itself is not set in stone, with RB Leipzig believing that they have made him a very good offer to remain at the club.

There are other clubs who have made contact, including Manchester United and PSG, and Sesko is being left by Leipzig to make the decision.

Sesko scored 14 Bundesliga goals for the German side and has only been at the German side for just over a year but it now seems like he is a man in demand.

Chelsea’s belief

Sesko is understood to have a release clause worth £55m in his contract that is active until the end of June, so the deadline for interested clubs to make a move is fast approaching.

We have previously reported that Arsenal were confident that they would win the race for the Slovenian forward but it now appears that Chelsea are not giving up in the fight for the forward.

Despite Sesko making his preference clear, via his intermediares, that a move to the Emirates Stadium is what he wants, this hasn’t deterred Chelsea who are hard at work trying to convince the Slovenian that Stamford Bridge is the right move for his career.

Marco Rose believes the Slovenian has a big future in the game, he told the Bundesliga website: “Benjamin has huge potential. He’s getting better all the time – in training and in matches.”

Chelsea could be set to lose Romelu Lukaku with HITC reporting that the Belgian forward is keen on a move to Napoli and a reunion with Antonio Conte, hence why a new striker is potentially on the club’s radar.