Arsenal agree £20 million deal with Besiktas for Leandro Trossard
· Yahoo Sports
Arsenal have agreed a £20 million deal with Besiktas for Leandro Trossard, according to The Athletic.
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The Belgian winger is now edging closer to bringing his successful spell at the Emirates Stadium to an end.
The agreement is worth an initial €18 million (£15.5m), with another €2 million (£1.7m) in performance-related add-ons.
However, the transfer is not yet done as negotiations over personal terms continue. Trossard is expected to earn around €9 million per season in Turkey.
The 31-year-old has just one year remaining on his Arsenal contract, making this summer Arsenal’s final opportunity to secure a significant transfer fee before risking losing him for nothing.
Any official announcement is likely to be delayed until Belgium’s World Cup campaign concludes.
Trossard is currently with Rudi Garcia’s squad and has impressed on the international stage, starting all four matches and scoring twice against New Zealand.
He also registered a crucial assist during Belgium’s dramatic comeback victory over Senegal.
His departure would mark the end of a productive three-and-a-half-year stay in north London.
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2023, Trossard proved to be one of Mikel Arteta’s most dependable attacking options.
He has made 174 appearances for the Gunners, recording 70 goal contributions across all competitions.
He played a key role in Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning campaign last season, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists in 50 appearances.
Should Trossard complete his switch to Turkey, Arsenal already have the ideal successor in mind.
Bradley Barcola is a major upgrade on Trossard based on his long-term potential, explosiveness, and ceiling. He is a better fit than Morgan Rogers.
The 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain winger combines blistering pace with decent one-on-one ability, regularly stretching defences and creating space for teammates.
His eye for space is phenomenal, and he has shown that he can hang with the very best, forming a fearsome attacking quartet with Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, and Michael Olise for France.
Barcola has genuine game-breaking athleticism capable of transforming Arsenal’s left flank for years to come.
While prising him away from the European champions will not be easy, he is exactly the calibre of signing required to keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League pile.