Arsenal are reportedly set to pursue the signature of Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, who is valued at around £100 million by KRC Genk
In an interview with Belgian outlet Sporza, Josy Comhair has claimed that Arsenal are interested in signing his client Leandro Trossard. The Belgian forward, who has been in fine form this season, has a number of other suitors in his pursuit as well, with KRC Genk set to command close to £100 million for him.
Trossard has been a part of the KRC Genk first-team setup for a couple of years now, having returned from his fourth loan spell away from the club in the summer of 2016. While he has been a regular over the last couple of seasons, it is only at the start of the current campaign, that the player has gone on to explode.
In 19 appearances across all competitions, Trossard has a stupendous return of 16 goals and 4 assists. His blistering form has certainly not gone unnoticed, with a number of clubs setting their sights on him. But, if the Belgian forward’s agent, Josy Comhair is to be believed, Arsenal are the most serious suitor.
“I contacted representatives from Arsenal and Tottenham. At Spurs, nobody wanted to confirm that Trossard is an option, but Arsenal did. They told me Leandro has a very interesting profile for them and that they’ve been following him since August. They also added it was a good choice to stay at Genk for another year. They ended the phone call with ‘They are keeping a close eye on him’.”
The interest from Arsenal does not really come as a surprise, especially in the wake of Danny Welbeck’s gruesome ankle injury. With the Englishman set to miss the rest of the season, the Gunners have been scouring the market for a replacement.
But, the pursuit of Trossard seems to be with an eye on the summer transfer window, if Comhair’s comments are anything to go by. Additionally, Genk manager Philippe Clement has already asserted that Trossard will not be allowed to leave in January, under any circumstance, although he did point towards a possible transfer fee.
“I’m not afraid Trossard is leaving, it was not so easy to keep him last summer, but we talked. Normally no players leaves in January. £100 million is something else, but £25 million is not enough for Trossard to leave in January.”
Clement’s comments suggest that Genk will surely charge a premium to let go of Trossard. If the asking price is indeed around the region of £100 million, Arsenal could effectively be ruled out of the race to sign the 23-year-old forward.
But, Trossard will only have two years left on his deal with the Belgian outfit next summer, which should provide Arsenal the impetus to negotiate a suitable amount. All things considered though, Trossard is an appealing long-term target, especially with Unai Emery having no natural winger at his disposal.
It will be interesting to see how Trossard progresses over the course of the season. But, if he can maintain his solid run, one can expect Arsenal to be joined by other big name clubs next summer, and the likes of Tottenham and AS Monaco to consider him seriously.
