Arsenal have reportedly reached an agreement with Brighton & Hove Albion to sign attacker Leandro Trossard for around £27m.
The Gunners have identified the Belgium international as an alternative to top target Mykhaylo Mudryk, who completed his £88.6m transfer to London rivals Chelsea last weekend.
Trossard made a bright start to the 2022-23 campaign with Brighton, contributing with seven goals and three assists in 13 games before the World Cup.
However, the 28-year-old now appears to have played his final fixture for the Seagulls after falling out with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who has criticised the player's attitude.
Trossard has been dropped from Brighton's last two matches against Middlesbrough and Liverpool following an alleged training ground bust-up with a teammate.
The attacker has since left the UK and returned to his native Belgium, and the player's agent Josy Comhair recently revealed that his client wants to leave the club and take 'the next step' in his career.
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The likes of Graham Potter's Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been credited with an interest in Trossard, and the latter allegedly saw a £12m verbal offer rejected by Brighton last week.
However, London rivals Arsenal have since entered advanced talks with the Seagulls, and a deal to recruit the Belgian is said to be progressing well.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners have reached a full agreement with Brighton to sign Trossard for an initial fee of £21m plus £6m in add-ons, taking the transfer to £27m in total.
Romano adds that Trossard has also agreed personal terms over a four-year contract and he is said to have turned down two other clubs in favour of joining Mikel Arteta's side.
The attacker is now set to fly to the English capital to undergo his medical before finalising his transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
Trossard could be available to make his Arsenal debut in the Premier League showdown with Manchester United on Sunday if he is registered by midday on Friday.
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Trossard joined Brighton from Genk in the summer of 2019 and has since made a total 121 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and registering 14 assists.
The Belgian has operated as a versatile attacker during his time at the Amex Stadium, playing as a central striker, a winger and at times as a wing-back.
Trossard's versatility, creative attributes and goalscoring ability all seemingly appeal to Arteta, who is keen to bolster his squad with a new attacker before the January 31 deadline.
The Gunners are currently light in the forward area as summer recruit Gabriel Jesus is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery.
While Trossard may be leaving a Brighton side pushing for Europe, he is now is poised to join a Gunners group who are battling for their first Premier League title in 19 years, with Arteta and co currently sitting eight points clear of Manchester City and Man United in second and third place respectively.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal's pursuit of Trossard will see them end their interest in a number of other attacking targets this month, including Barcelona duo Raphinha and Ferran Torres, Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby and Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.
Oliver Thomas
