Leandro Trossard appears to be moving closer to the Arsenal transfer exit door, with The Athletic reporting that the 31-year-old is near an agreement on personal terms with Besiktas. If the deal goes through at around £17.1 million, it would be a tidy return for Arsenal on a player who has delivered plenty in red and white.
The wider picture is simple enough. Trossard joined Arsenal from Brighton in January 2023 for £27 million and has since become a reliable part of Mikel Arteta’s attacking rotation. He has made 174 appearances, scored 36 goals and added 34 assists, which is strong output for a player who has often been asked to cover different roles across the front line.
Why this looks like sensible business
There is also a contract factor that changes the tone of the discussion. With one year left, Arsenal are in a position where a sale can be framed as sensible squad management rather than a damaging loss of control. In that sense, the proposed move to Besiktas feels like business that makes football and financial sense.
That does not mean Arsenal will be indifferent to the departure. Trossard has repeatedly offered reliable end product, and he has been a useful big-moment player as well. In the 2024/25 Community Shield, he scored the late, deflected equaliser against Manchester City before Arsenal won the penalty shootout, a reminder that he has not simply been a squad player in the background.
What Trossard has given Arsenal
His numbers explain why the move is being watched closely. Across 174 appearances, Trossard has delivered 36 goals and 34 assists, which gives Arsenal a combined 70 goal involvements from a player signed for £27 million. For a club looking to keep refreshing the squad, that is not a profile to dismiss lightly.
At the same time, Arsenal have already been active this summer. Piero Hincapie’s move from Bayer Leverkusen has been made permanent, and Illan Meslier has arrived as goalkeeping cover. That matters because every outfield departure changes the balance of what remains available to Arteta as the window develops.
Arsenal transfer work continues
The Trossard situation also sits alongside other Arsenal transfer movement, including the broader conversation around Julian Alvarez, Bruno Guimaraes, Morgan Rogers and Christos Tzolis. For supporters, that means this is not just about one exit, but about how the club reshapes its attacking options while the market is still open.
For Besiktas, the attraction is clear: an experienced forward with Premier League pedigree and proven final-third productivity. For Arsenal, the calculation is just as clear. If a fee of £17.1 million can be secured for a player with one year remaining, it is the sort of deal that allows the club to keep moving rather than stand still.
The next step is whether personal terms are completed and the move turns from possibility into a formal bid for one of Arsenal’s most reliable recent attackers.
