Arsenal have received a boosted in their pursuit of Belgian forward Leandro Trossard who has hinted at leaving Genk this summer.
Arsenal are set to have a busy summer as Unai Emery looks for players to fix his squad ahead of next season. According to The Mirror, the Gunners could be boosted in their pursuit of Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, after he reportedly hinted at leaving current side Genk and join another team in the summer.
Arsenal’s problems this season have been in defensive areas as their attackers were present to bail them out in many games. The Gunners are looking at attractive options to cover defensive cracks with interest in many players including Samuel Umtiti of Barcelona. However, there are still places to be filled in attack and midfield, for which Emery has a list of targets.
One player in that list is Trossard after the Spaniard was impressed by the Belgian forward’s displays this season. The Genk star has had a strong season with 22 goals and 11 assists to his name. Those numbers have certainly caught the eye of Emery who seeks a productive player to replace the void that would be left by the impending departure of Danny Welbeck.
Recently, Trossard hinted at a departure from current side Genk, suggesting that his side’s season-ending match could be his last. He was quoted saying, “Sunday’s game against Standard Liege might be my last one in a Genk shirt.” It could be good news for Emery who has been on his trails and could now persuade the Arsenal board to attempt to sign the 24-year-old when the window opens.
Trossard, however, is not Arsenal’s priority target as the Gunners are in the hunt to sigh Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace. Their pursuit of Zaha has hit a snag with Crystal Palace demanding as much as £80 million for their star man, while the Gunners are only willing to pay £40 million, although they are open to including upto three players as part of the deal.
With the £80 million tag out of Arsenal’s reach, they have opted to turn their attention towards the prolific Belgian forward who could cost them around £20 million. Arsenal could enter the summer window with a limited budget reportedly around the £45 million mark, while this could increase with qualification into next season’s Champions League and also through player sales.
Arsenal have links with other names such as Ismaila Sarr of Rennes, for whom Leicester City are their closest challengers. There is also interest in other forward players as the summer window opens, but their interest in Trossard could become stronger with time.
Trossard could be a pivotal addition to this Arsenal side, especially given only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a viable contribution from wide areas this season. Arsenal’s other options include Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, both of whom underperformed this season. Trossard could bring in more goals and creativity from a wide forward area, much similar to Welbeck’s role this season.
