Leandro Trossard’s proposed move to Besiktas appears to be gathering pace, with The Athletic claiming the Belgian is close to agreeing personal terms with the Turkish club.
The 31-year-old has a year remaining on his Arsenal contract, but Mikel Arteta is understood to be willing to sanction his departure for a fee that could rise to £17.1 million if add-ons are met. Having joined Arsenal from Brighton for £27 million in January 2023 it feels like respectable business given Trossard’s contribution over the past three and a half years.
In 174 appearances, he has scored 36 goals and provided 34 assists, helping Arsenal to back-to-back second-place finishes before last season’s Premier League title triumph. He also scored the late, deflected equaliser against Manchester City in the 2024/25 Community Shield that forced the penalty shootout the Gunners eventually won.
Trossard has also enjoyed an impressive World Cup, playing a key role in Belgium’s run to the quarter-finals before their defeat to Spain. With his international commitments now over, attention has turned back to his club future, and it sounds as though a move to Istanbul could be wrapped up by the end of the week.
Arsenal have added two senior players so far this summer, making Piero Hincapie’s move from Bayer Leverkusen permanent before bringing in Illan Meslier as goalkeeping cover. Their next piece of business is expected to be Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis, with the Greek international reportedly available for around £35 million.
Elsewhere, The Independent reports Arsenal are pushing to strike a quick deal for Julian Alvarez after competition from Barcelona and Real Madrid apparently “regressed”.
Atletico Madrid are said to want more than £100 million for the Argentina international, a hefty price for a player who returned 20 goals and nine assists in 49 appearances last season.
Any movement on that front may depend on whether Arsenal can make progress in their pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes and Morgan Rogers. Both remain high on Andrea Berta’s wishlist, although Newcastle and Aston Villa are, unsurprisingly, proving difficult negotiating partners.
Villa, meanwhile, look to have beaten Newcastle to the signing of Freiburg’s highly-rated Johan Manzambi. The 20-year-old has impressed for Switzerland at the World Cup and had appeared destined for St James’ Park before changing his mind at the eleventh hour. With Amadou Onana sidelined by a ruptured ACL and uncertainty surrounding Rogers’ future, Villa have moved decisively. Newcastle, meanwhile, are reportedly considering a move for Botafogo’s Danilo, formerly of Nottingham Forest.
At academy level, Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Jeremy Monga from Leicester in a deal worth £12.5 million. Arsenal looked to be leading the race for the winger, who turned 17 at the weekend, but walked away once the asking price exceeded their valuation. I should also take responsibility after drafting a deal confirmation article. Oops.
There could be plenty of movement in the youth ranks in the coming days and weeks. Elijah Upson, son of former Gunner Matthew, is set to join Arsenal after rejecting a new contract at Sp*rs. He’s viewed as a long-term prospect and is expected to begin with the under-21s.
Going the other way, 16-year-old Kyran Thompson had been expected to head to Sp*rs, but has instead opted to join Newcastle. Emerson Nwaneri, Ethan’s younger brother, also looked set to leave Hale End but has now decided to stay. Whether that has any bearing on Ethan’s long-term future remains to be seen. After spending last season on loan at Marseille, his own Arsenal future is still up in the air.
One week out from the official start of Arsenal’s pre-season preparations, there’s clearly a lot going on behind the scenes.