Arsenal offload Trossard to Besiktas in £15.3m deal, turn focus to Tzolis

Leandro Trossard's time at Arsenal is over. The Belgium international has completed a move to Turkish side Besiktas, signing a three-year contract that runs through 2028 with an optional additional year. The deal is worth €18 million (£15.3m), structured in six equal instalments spread across the contract's duration. Arsenal granted the 31-year-old permission to travel to Istanbul on Tuesday for his medical after the clubs agreed on the fee. Trossard joined Arsenal from Brighton in January 2023 for £21m plus add-ons and still had two years left on his deal. During his stint in north London, he made 174 appearances, scoring 36 goals and providing 34 assists. He played a key role in helping Mikel Arteta’s side win last season’s Premier League title, started the Champions League final defeat to Paris St-Germain, and featured 21 times in the league. At the recent World Cup, he started all six matches for Belgium, scoring twice as they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Spain. With Trossard out the door, Arsenal are accelerating their pursuit of Club Brugge attacker Christos Tzolis. The Gunners have been tracking the Greece international since June, according to sources, and are now ready to make a formal approach. Sporting director Andrea Berta is handling the negotiations after his assistant Maurizio Micheli watched Tzolis play for Greece against Sweden last month. Club Brugge are expecting an offer in the region of €35 million (£30m). Arsenal's interest in Tzolis is separate from their hunt for more high-profile forwards. The club retains a long-term interest in Atlético Madrid's Julián Álvarez, though a summer move remains complicated with Barcelona and Real Madrid also circling. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is Arsenal's preferred option for a versatile attacker, but any deal will have to wait until his World Cup campaign with England concludes. Should that fail, Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola is viewed as the alternative. Meanwhile, Arsenal recruitment specialist Maurizio Micheli recently scouted Georgia Under-21 international Andria Bartishvili during Iberia 1999's Champions League qualifier against Flora, with sources indicating the Gunners are stepping up efforts to sign the teenage attacker.