Arsenal, Chelsea & Man Utd handed boost in pursuit of £42m Benjamin Sesko

RB Leipzig are open to selling Benjamin Sesko this summer for a deal that might not require triggering his €50m (£42m) release clause, 90min understands.

The 20-year-old is one of Europe's most sought after young strikers having enjoyed a fine debut season with Leipzig, whom he has scored 12 goals for in 36 games across all competitions.

Sesko joined up with Leipzig's first-team squad last summer after agreeing to join them from fellow Red Bull club Salzburg a year prior. Upon arrival in Germany, he had offers to immediately leave, but thought he'd be better off staying in the Red Bull system for the time being.

After one year in the Bundesliga though, sources have told 90min Sesko is open to a new challenge, and Leipzig would be willing to facilitate an exit.

The €50m (£42m) release clause in Sesko's current contract may not need to be activated in order for him to leave, with Leipzig open-minded about the structure of any deal providing that ballpark valuation is met.

Sesko's most likely destination is the Premier League - Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all on the hunt for new strikers and have an interest in the Slovenia international. PSG are the main suitor as of now outside of the Premier League.

Arsenal's shortlist of centre forwards also includes Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres and Brighton & Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson, while they have cooled their interest in Brentford's Ivan Toney regarding a move this summer.

But Sesko is an attractive option for the Gunners due to his comparatively cheap fee to other targets - Gyokeres' release clause is worth €100m (£86m) and Sporting are likely to demand this to be paid in full, while Brighton and Brentford have already intimated it would take significant sums to part ways with their star strikers.

Chelsea, meanwhile, view Sesko as a cheaper alternative to Victor Osimhen, whose Napoli contract contains a release clause worth at least €120m (£103m).

United remain in the market for another striker, but they are now more willing to bring in a younger option like Sesko as opposed to a veteran due to the improved form of Rasmus Hojlund in the second half of this season. They may, however, be tempted by Toney with his contract up in 2025.

READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM