Newcastle United will reportedly explore the possibility of signing £30 million-rated Arsenal and Chelsea target Leandro Trossard in January.
Newcastle United have identified Brighton & Hove Albion’s versatile attacker Leandro Trossard as a transfer target and are planning to make initial contact over a potential deal before the January transfer window, according to the Northern Echo, as the Magpies look for reinforcements to bolster their attack even further despite dispatching Aston Villa 4-0 in their most recent fixture.
Trossard has enjoyed a spectacular start to the current season and has scored seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances, including a wonderful hat-trick against Liverpool earlier this month,. He came back to haunt his former manager Graham Potter over the weekend in Roberto De Zerbi’s side’s 4-1 triumph against Chelsea.
The Belgian’s red-hot goalscoring streak in front of goal means he is only one goal away from matching his best season tally in a Seagulls shirt, despite the fact that two-thirds of the season is still to be played.
The 27-year-old’s current contract at the Amex Stadium will expire in the summer of 2023, meaning he will be entering the final few months of his deal in January. And while talks over fresh terms are underway, with Brighton planning to make him one of the highest wage earners at the club, nothing has been agreed upon as of yet.
As such, the south coast outfit have slapped a pretty modest £30 million on his proverbial head, largely down to his diminishing contract. Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old has garnered attention from a number of top Premier League clubs, including Chelsea who are considering ramping up their pursuit of the Brighton starlet, with Graham Potter eyeing a reunion with his former player at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian international has previously hinted that if presented with the opportunity, he would be open to signing for the Blues. But Trossard may need some convincing as he is looking for regular game-time, and rightly so, currently being in the prime years of his career.
Cash-rich Newcastle will look to steal the march on their competitors, hoping that the transfer battle will be settled on a first-come-first-served basis. The Magpies plan to open talks for Trossard before the end of the year through their transfer chief and director of football, Dan Ashworth.
Eddie Howe does not want a disruptive signing that could destabilise the feel-good factor among the players. Instead, Trossard could be the ideal player to inject quality into the attack, and he is versatile enough to take up multiple positions in Newcastle’s offensive unit.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are looking to ease the intense workload currently put upon the young shoulders of Hale End graduate Bukayo Saka, if their strong links with Pedro Neto during the summer are anything to go by.
Trossard is primarily a left-winger, so he won’t be a direct cover on the right flank. But his productivity elsewhere in the frontline and Gabriel Martinelli’s versatility to operate on the right may counterbalance that. It will be interesting to see whether Arsenal go for experience in Trossard to boost their title challenge or roll the dice by continuing with a breakout rookie like Reiss Nelson.
