Bayern Munich have set their sights on Arsenal's Leandro Trossard as they look to bolster their attacking line-up this summer.
With Leroy Sane, Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller having departed the club, and Jamal Musiala expected to miss most of next season due to a leg break sustained at the Club World Cup, Bayern are in need of reinforcements. The German giants had been linked with Spain's Nico Williams, but he has recently signed a new 10-year contract with Athletic Bilbao, complete with a hefty £75million release clause. This has led to speculation that Trossard could be their next target.
According to Bild, Trossard is being considered as an alternative to Liverpool's Luis Diaz. It's reported that Bayern have made a £45million bid for Diaz, but Liverpool are not keen to sell, especially not at that price.
Trossard is attracting interest from several clubs, as talks over a new contract at Arsenal have hit a standstill. The Belgian international recently appointed Dirk Hebel as his agent, who already has ties with Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl.
Having spent three seasons at Arsenal, Trossard has netted 28 goals and provided 23 assists in 124 appearances across all competitions. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is known to be a big fan of the player, reports the Mirror.
Last year, Arteta praised Trossard's competitive nature and his "capacity to do something special". Arteta said: "Yeah, Leo is naturally a bit of a moaner but I like that because he's very competitive and you have training sessions, he's always busy with the referee's decision, because he wants to win.
"That's what I love. He always wants to be the best and when he's not there, he's not happy. But that's what pushes him. That's where he comes in on the pitch, he can make an impact because he's got that drive, that anger which says: 'I'm gonna show you.'
"I love that about him. He's a really good character. They all want to play. Always want to play. Leo has shown a lot more consistency in the last 12 months, he's deserved that.
"He's had a lot of competition in his position. That's it. Raise the level. If he plays at that level then he will play like anyone else. He has the capacity to do something special in the final third.
"He's played and with us he's played as a left winger, as an attacking midfielder, he's played as a nine and he's a player that I value a lot, we value a lot, because he's very versatile and very competitive and he's a massive goal threat for the team. Really happy with him."
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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