Arsenal have reportedly opened talks with Brighton & Hove Albion over a move for attacker Leandro Trossard.
The 28-year-old has enjoyed a positive campaign on the field under Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi with seven goals and three assists from 16 Premier League matches.
However, Trossard has seemingly played his final game in a Brighton shirt after a falling out with De Zerbi, who left the Belgium international out of his squad for last weekend's win over Liverpool due to attitude concerns.
Trossard - who has been linked with a number of top teams in recent months - immediately left England to return to Belgium, and his agent subsequently released a statement on social media claiming that a sale would be best for both parties.
"Last Monday, the manager [De Zerbi] humiliated Leandro in [the] group and indicated that he no longer wanted to see him," the attacker's representative Josy Comhair announced.
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"A manager who has not communicated directly with his player for four weeks is really incomprehensible. It is also the manager who has indicated several times that a transfer is the most convenient solution.
"It is therefore important that Brighton cooperates with a potential transfer during this transfer period and shows a benevolent attitude, which is beneficial to both parties."
Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have been credited with an interest in Trossard, and Antonio Conte's side are believed to have had a £12m offer rejected by the Seagulls.
Now, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal have now opened talks over a move for the former Genk man, and negotiations are already at an advanced stage.
The Gunners are said to have agreed personal terms with Trossard over a long-term contract and could supposedly close a deal within the coming hours, despite having not tabled an official bid yet.
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Trossard has recorded 25 goals and 14 assists in 121 outings for Brighton since joining in the summer of 2019, but he only has 18 months left to run on his contract at the Amex Stadium.
Arsenal have prioritised the signing of a new attacker this month following injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson, and they were widely expected to win the race for Ukraine's Mykhaylo Mudryk.
However, Chelsea hijacked a deal for the ex-Shakhtar Donetsk man, paying £88.5m to bring him to Stamford Bridge, and Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin has since revealed that the Blues' "achievable and realistic" bonuses made the difference in negotiations.
The Gunners have been linked with several alternatives after missing out on Mudryk, including Raphinha, Memphis Depay, Moussa Diaby and Trossard's Brighton teammate Kaoru Mitoma.
Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen are both said to be holding out for €100m (£87.8m) fees for Raphinha and Diaby respectively, though, while Depay is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid.
Should Arsenal wrap up a deal for Trossard within hours, the Belgium international could be in contention to make his debut in Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Ben Knapton
