Arsenal are making a move to sign Brighton forward Leandro Trossard, as the Belgium international is in the middle of a stand-off with manager Roberto De Zerbi and is set to leave the Amex Stadium this month. The Gunners have entered the race to sign Trossard, as they look to strengthen their attacking options, and they have stolen a march on their north London rivals Tottenham by opening talks with Brighton over a January move.
It was reported that Tottenham have been monitoring Trossard’s situation, but Arsenal have moved quickly to identify other targets and are now hopeful of getting a deal for Trossard over the line in the coming days. The fee for Trossard is expected to be around £20 million.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, has been on the lookout for a new forward this month and looked on course to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shaktar Donetsk. However, Chelsea’s late intervention shattered their hopes of signing the Ukrainian.
Trossard and De Zerbi have had a public falling out of late, with the manager criticizing the player’s attitude and work rate since his return from the World Cup with Belgium. The Brighton coach revealed that Trossard recently walked out of training after discovering he was omitted from their side to face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
Trossard has not appeared for Brighton in 2023, and was not involved in his team’s 3-0 win over Liverpool after he left training prematurely without De Zerbi’s permission. Rumours had circulated that Trossard was a key transfer target for Arsenal’s rivals, Tottenham, but it appears that the Gunners will win the race for the attacking midfielder.
In a statement released last week, Trossard’s agent Josy Comhair lifted the lid on his client’s fractious relationship with De Zerbi. “A manager who has not communicated directly with his player for four weeks is really incomprehensible. Incidentally, it is also the manager who has indicated several times that a transfer is the most convenient solution,” Comhair said.
Despite their recent conflict, Brighton coach De Zerbi did indicate that he would welcome Trossard back to training. “I’m fine with myself and I’m ready to open the doors for him, because he’s a good guy and a very important player for us,” he said. “He changes the team, but he has to understand and to work with my attitude, in my way, because I am the coach, I decide the rules inside the dressing room, only this.”
The move to Arsenal could be the perfect opportunity for Trossard to reignite his career and to get back to his best form. Trossard began the season in an impressive fashion after scoring a hat-trick against Liverpool, but his relationship with De Zerbi seems to have affected his performances. The Belgian forward has a lot of potential and could be a great addition to the Arsenal squad, and fans will be excited to see him in action.