Chelsea set to gatecrash North London battle to sign out of favour PL attacker

Chelsea set to gatecrash the North London battle to sign Leandro Trossard

According to the Mirror, Chelsea are set to gatecrash the battle between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Brighton and Hove Albion forward Leandro Trossard.

The Belgium international, who was part of the disappointing national team campaign at the World Cup, has fallen out of favour at the south coast under Roberto Di Zerbi. The Seagulls’ boss has opened the door for the player to make his way back into the team after being left out in the last two games.

Trossard, who initially had his contract expiring in the summer, has got his deal extension option triggered by a year from Brighton as they do not want him to be sold for a cheaper price in the January window. They would not listen to offers less than £25m.

With the financial might of Chelsea in place, it looks like they are ready to upsurge Spurs and Arsenal in the race to sign the 28-year-old. They have done something similar with the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk for a deal worth £88.5m, beating the Gunners in the process.

Trossard had an excellent season for Brighton before the World Cup. He scored a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield, followed by an excellent goal at the Etihad Stadium against defending champions Manchester City.

Looking at his numbers, the former Genk player has scored seven goals and assisted in 16 league appearances. His versatility is a big plus for any team he plays for.

The Belgian can play anywhere across the forward line and is competent enough to play as a wing-back too. When Graham Potter was the Brighton boss, we saw him use Trossard as a wing-back to good effect.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen feels he has grown into a proficient left-back at Burnley
• Sergei Palkin reveals why Mykhailo Mudryk chose Chelsea over Arsenal
• Loaned out Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi to decide his future in the summer

After signing Joao Felix and Mudryk this month, is it necessary for Chelsea to spend a minimum of £25m on Trossard? No one knows the definite answer to that. Ideally, the focus should be on buying a midfielder before looking at other options. Let’s hope both options are in the reckoning.