Newcastle United are reportedly set to rival Chelsea in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s wide forward Leandro Trossard, who will be out of contract next summer.
Newcastle United are reported to have entered the race to sign Leandro Trossard. That is according to 90min, who claims Brighton & Hove Albion’s former sporting director, Dan Ashworth, currently plying his trade for Newcastle, is keeping close tabs on the 27-year-old Belgian’s contract situation on the south coast, and is keen to bring him to St. James’ Park on a bargain deal.
The Belgian international joined the Seagulls in 2019, the exact summer in which now-Chelsea boss Graham Potter was hired as head coach at the south coast outfit. Trossard has since turned out to be one of the club’s standout players in recent seasons, having racked up 36 goal contributions in 113 games.
The 27-year-old enjoyed his best output to date last season, finding the back of the net eight times in 35 matches. But he looks to be on track to break that record this season, with five goals and two assists in nine league games, including a magnificent hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield. Trossard also looks set to be included in Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad for the winter World Cup.
However, the Belgian playmaker’s current deal at Amex expires at the end of the season. Brighton are keen to offer him lucrative terms in order to secure his long-term future with the south coast outfit, but they will face a tough battle to retain their prized asset.
The player’s contract situation has attracted plenty of admirers across Europe in recent weeks, with Chelsea and Newcastle thought to be at the front of the queue looking into signing him on a free transfer next summer. Furthermore, the winger himself recently admitted that he would only move to the right club. So, a 2023 Trossard switch appears to be on the cards.
Chelsea, for one, have identified Trossard as one of their priority targets, and hold the trump card in head coach Graham Potter, who shares a healthy relationship with him from their time together at Brighton and is keen to bring him to Stamford Bridge since the Belgian understands his tactics and philosophy. That said, the versatile attacker will need some convincing, as he wants assurances of regular playing time.
But Chelsea might now face some heavyweight competition from Newcastle United. While the Magpies are well-stocked in wide areas, they lack any real end product from that side of the pitch, especially in the absence of Allan Saint-Maximin.
Miguel Almiron is firing on all cylinders and banging in some goals of late but is still some way off proving that he can do that on a consistent basis and will only benefit from added competition. Trossard has impressed with goals, assists, and creativity at Brighton and fits the bill for Newcastle.
Apart from Chelsea and Newcastle, the player is also garnering admiring glances from overseas clubs such as Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, who can sign him on a pre-contract agreement in January if there is no progress on his contract extension.
