Arsenal receive £17.2m Saudi bid for Leandro Trossard as Al-Diraiyah launch shock move | OneFootball

Saudi club Al-Diraiyah have made an offer of £17.2m to sign Leandro Trossard.

The ambitious, newly-promoted Saudi Pro League outfit is looking to mark its arrival in the top flight by securing high-profile talent directly from the upper echelons of European football.

Arsenal receive offer from Saudi for Leandro Trossard

According to a report from Belgian outlet Het Belang van Limburg, Al-Diraiyah have officially tabled a £17.2 million proposal to purchase the 31-year-old winger.

In addition to providing a respectable package to the Gunners, the Middle Eastern club is pulling out all the financial stops to convince the player himself.

They are reportedly prepared to hand the veteran attacker a staggering salary package worth £8.6 million per year (approximately €10 million net) to spearhead their project in Saudi Arabia.

The Belgium international has been a massively reliable and key asset for Mikel Arteta’s side since completing his transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion three years ago.

Trossard’s versatility and knack for scoring crucial goals off the bench helped anchor Arsenal’s competitive domestic campaigns and their deep continental runs.

However, despite earning a deserved pay rise at the Emirates Stadium last summer, his contract was crucially not renewed beyond its original June 2027 expiry date.

Trossard expected to leave Arsenal this summer

With Trossard quickly approaching his 32nd birthday in December and entering the final phase of his contract, the hierarchy in North London faces a crucial decision.

It now looks increasingly likely that Arsenal will choose to cash in on his services this window.

Letting him go now allows the Premier League club to completely recoup the majority of the fee they originally paid to Brighton in January 2023.

Since joining the Gunners, the Belgian has scored 36 goals and assisted another 34 in 174 games across all competitions.

Arsenal looking to bring in new attacker

Moving Trossard off the books provides essential fiscal breathing room as Arteta looks to overhaul and younger his attacking flanks with fresh profiles.

While Trossard is currently focusing on his international duties with Belgium, the immense financial allure of the Saudi offer means a momentous decision about his future looms immediately on the horizon.

Arsenal are linked with signing an attacker, with Julian Alvarez one of the reported targets for the club.

Alvarez wants to leave Atletico and the Spanish club might be considering striking a player-plus-cash deal involving Viktor Gyokeres as per reports in Spain.