Trossard to Arsenal is done as Edu saves £61m on Mudryk alternative

Arsenal have struck a deal with Brighton to sign Leandro Trossard, following the disappointment of missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk earlier this month. The Gunners are set to pay £27million for the services of the Belgium international.

Express Sport understand Mikel Arteta’s side have reached an agreement to sign Trossard following his impressive start to the season with the Seagulls. The deal is understood to be a fee of £21m potentially rising to £27m with add-ons. The Belgium international was keen to leave the south coast side this month following his public spat with the club and manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Numerous clubs were alerted of the 28-year-old’s discontentedness, with Tottenham and Chelsea also showing an interest in the forward. However, the Gunners acted quickly to strike a deal for the long-term target on Thursday, having previously shown an interest in acquiring his services in 2019 when he was with Genk. He is set to undergo his medical either this evening or on Friday.

Arteta was desperate to strengthen his forward ranks this month, with Mudryk a top target. Arsenal saw several bids for the Ukraine international rejected, with Chelsea hijacking the move and striking a deal worth £88m.

Chelsea hijacked the move and made it clear from the get-go that they were willing to pay the aforementioned fee and also offered a more attractive payment structure, promptly flying Mudryk over from Turkey to seal the deal. The signing took Todd Boehly’s spending over the £440m mark since his arrival at Stamford Bridge and left Arsenal pondering who to turn to next.

The opportunity to sign Trossard at a fraction of the cost was too good to pass up on for the Gunners, who acted quickly to ensure that their interest in the winger did not prompt other clubs to act. Spurs had already seen a verbal offer of £12m for his services rejected earlier this month, shortly after his agent, Josy Comhair, released a statement outlining why he was unhappy with comments made by De Zerbi in a recent press conference.

In a blockbuster statement, he said: “Before Leandro left for Qatar, Brighton’s intention was to have Leandro sign on. This did not happen, as the parties did not come to an agreement. Leandro has also indicated that he is ready for his next step.”

Comhair then relayed several reasons why his client was pushing for a move and explained why Brighton should grant Trossard his wish. It remains to be seen whether the forward is now able to help Arsenal towards recording a historic Premier League title success and if he will prove to be a more impressive piece of business than splashing the cash on Mudryk.