Leandro Trossard is on his way to Istanbul for a medical after Arsenal agreed a £17m (20m euros) deal to sell the Belgium forward to Besiktas. The 31-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Brighton for £21m in January 2023, has been given permission to travel to Turkey for the move, which consists of an initial £15.3m (18m euros) plus £1.7m (2m euros) in add-ons.
Besiktas confirmed the negotiations in a statement: “Negotiations have commenced with professional football player Leandro Trossard and his club Arsenal regarding his permanent transfer.” Arsenal said: “We have reached an agreement with Besiktas for the permanent transfer of Leandro Trossard. We will provide a further update once the transfer has been completed.”
“Arsenal agree £17m fee for Leandro Trossard's transfer to Besiktas; winger travels to Istanbul for medical.”
Trossard played a key role in Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph last season – the club’s first in 22 years – scoring six times in 31 league appearances, including a late winner against West Ham in May. In total, he scored 36 goals and registered 34 assists in 174 appearances for the Gunners. His final game for the club came in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, where he set up Kai Havertz’s early goal in a 1-1 draw before Arsenal lost on penalties. He also represented Belgium at the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, starting all six games in this summer’s tournament and scoring twice as they reached the quarter-finals.
With Trossard’s departure, Arsenal are poised to accelerate their pursuit of Club Brugge attacker Christos Tzolis. Sporting director Andrea Berta is working on the deal after his assistant Maurizio Micheli watched the 24-year-old Greece international play against Sweden last month. Tzolis could be available for about £30m (35m euros). Any move for him would be separate to Arsenal’s long-term interest in Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, who remains the club’s priority target, though a deal is complicated by interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid. For a versatile forward, Arsenal’s preferred option is Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with efforts expected to accelerate once his participation in the World Cup with England ends. Paris St-Germain’s Bradley Barcola is viewed as an alternative should the Rogers deal – reportedly valued at £130m by Villa – fall through.
