Arsenal are reportedly looking to launch a bid to land Genk winger Leandro Trossard in the summer, with Unai Emery looking to beef up his attacking options.
According to Football.London, Arsenal will be looking into adding natural options out on the wing when the summer transfer window opens. Genk winger Leandro Trossard has emerged as an option for the summer, according to the report, with Unai Emery reportedly ready to sanction a move for the Belgian.
Trossard joined Genk in 2010 and spent several seasons out on loan at fellow Belgian clubs before finally being handed his breakthrough season in 2016 in the Belgian Pro League as part of Genk. The 2018-19 campaign though, has been truly pathbreaking in terms of form for Trossard.
17 goals and 8 assists in the season so far, it is safe to say Trossard has showed that he can provide goals on a regular basis, that too from a wide position. This seems to have caught the attention of Arsenal, who are looking to bring the winger in during the summer transfer window.
Arsenal chose to reinforce their midfield and defence in the summer of 2018, with January also seeing Denis Suarez being added to the midfield on a six-month loan. But, what has become a bone of contention or rather a real headache for Unai Emery is the lack of natural wide options.
The manager has played Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mesut Ozil and a few other players out wide with little success. Iwobi has been the only positive out wide, but is far from consistent when it comes to big occasions.
There were several reports linking Arsenal with loan moves for wingers in January itself, with Unai Emery strapped for transfer budget. Their reported attempts to bring in Gelson Martins failed while Ivan Perisic also ended up staying put, with the Inter Milan manager not appreciative of Arsenal’s approach.
In the summer though, Unai Emery is likely to receive a fresh transfer budget, and perhaps a bigger one if Arsenal manage to qualify for the Champions League. Add to that the cash they can arrange from player departures and the Gunners will be well equipped to go for the targets they have in mind.
Trossard could reportedly be available for £22 million, which would be a brilliant piece of business from Arsenal, especially for a player who seems to be just hitting the best stride of his career and is on the brink of making his senior debut for Belgium, having been called up to the squad by Roberto Martinez on two occasions in 2018.
Ideally, Trossard would serve as a replacement for Danny Welbeck within the squad, with the Englishman’s contract up in the summer. But, the 24-year-old could solve the wing issues that Arsenal are currently dealing with.
The Gunners will have some competition, with the report also naming Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund as potential suitors in the summer. But, the same also indicates that Trossard would be keen to join Arsenal, should an offer come Genk’s way in the summer. If the 24-year-old keeps on performing as he has so far this season, there is very little chance it won’t.
