Highly regarded RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko has rejected Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to sign a new contract in Germany.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the Slovenian has agreed to new terms, which will come as a blow to the Premier League giants.
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Kicker had previously revealed that Sesko had signed a 65 million euro [£55m] His contract contained an exit clause that would come into effect on June 30, but Leipzig intended to “buy out” that part of his contract while agreeing to an extension.
This wish has now come true: the 21-year-old will stay in the Bundesliga after an outstanding season in which he scored 18 goals in 42 games in all competitions.
Sesko’s agreement is similar to that of Erling Haaland, when he stayed at Borussia Dortmund for another season.
The Pitch Prospect has learned that Arsenal’s interest in the Slovenian was so great that Leipzig even called the Londoners to let them know his whereabouts.
There were also strong links with Chelsea and Manchester United, and Sesko had long been on the radar of Europe’s top teams after rising through the ranks at Red Bull Salzburg.
In the summer of 2023, he moved to RB’s first division club Leipzig and has since become an absolute must-see with a series of exceptional highlight goals.
However, Sesko was surprisingly overshadowed by fellow striker Lois Openda’s 28 goals in the 2023/24 season. He also had the chance to make his mark in the Champions League round of 16 against Real Madrid, but wasted six guilty chances in a 1-0 defeat.
The young striker can make up for that in the coming weeks after being drawn into a group with England, Denmark and Serbia at the 2024 European Championship.
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The tournament is Slovenia’s first European Championship since 2000. Sesko has already become a star, scoring 11 goals in 29 games and is on course to break the all-time record of 33 goals.