Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad have supposedly made a surprise offer of €35m (£29.5m) to sign Arsenal attacker Leandro Trossard.
While the English transfer window slammed shut on August 30, Premier League clubs can still offload players to other divisions for a short time, including the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
The market in the Middle East is open until the end of September 2, and according to Fabrizio Romano, Al-Ittihad have now tried their luck with a shock late swoop for Trossard.
The 29-year-old was signed by Mikel Arteta in 2023 after Arsenal lost out to Chelsea in the race for Mykhaylo Mudryk, although the Belgian has arguably made much more of an impact for a much smaller fee.
Trossard has come up with 19 goals and 12 assists in 71 competitive matches for Arsenal across all tournaments since his €24m (£20.2m) arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion, and he often started over the off-colour Gabriel Martinelli towards the end of last season.
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Trossard decision 'up to Arsenal' as Al-Ittihad submit offer
However, the Belgium international was overlooked for starts in Arsenal's first two matches of the 2024-25 campaign, although he scored the Gunners' opener off the bench in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa in gameweek two.
The 29-year-old was reluctant to celebrate his goal in the West Midlands, though, only performing his trademark goggles routine when persuaded by William Saliba, and Arteta admitted after the game that he was "upset" not to have been selected.
"When you don't get picked, there are certain ways to react. Leo is upset, but he is upset and shows on the pitch how good he is – not upset and comes in and reacts badly. That is a huge quality. Then, when you put him in the starting line-up, he does exactly the same thing," Arteta told the media.
"That is a big message and a big example for the rest of the team and myself. We have two great left wingers and Reiss Nelson can also play in that position so it is always a challenge but you know you are going to get that quality."
Trossard's telling contribution in the Villa Park victory saw him promoted to the starting lineup over Martinelli in Saturday's clash with Brighton & Hove Albion, but he failed to impress against his old club and was taken off just before the hour in that 1-1 draw.
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Al-Ittihad have already added to their wide ranks with the capture of Moussa Diaby from Aston Villa this summer, but they have sold Jota to French club Rennes and are in the market for a new attacker.
Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Fabinho and Houssem Aouar are also in Al-Ittihad's ranks, but Romano adds that the final decision will be up to Arsenal, as Trossard is considered a key player for Arteta.
Should Arsenal consider selling Trossard?
News of Al-Ittihad making an eleventh-hour attempt to poach Trossard from the Emirates came as a massive shock to Gooners, who have witnessed the Belgian come up clutch in multiple moments over the past 18 months.
Trossard may now face intense competition for the left-wing spot from Martinelli and Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling, but he can also fill in centrally, a highly useful quality with Eddie Nketiah gone and Gabriel Jesus unable to stay fit.
Even though he is turning 30 in December and is out of contract in 2026, any late Saudi proposals for Trossard should be immediately rejected by the Gunners, although it will be fascinating to see what transpires next year.
Ben Knapton
