Arsenal receive shock £29.5m offer from Saudi Arabia for ‘important player’ – Romano

Arsenal have received an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for Leandro Trossard, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Mikel Arteta will have been pleased with the Gunners’ summer business with David Raya, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and Raheem Sterling all arriving at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal also managed to keep all of their best players as they look to mount another challenge for the Premier League title with Manchester City going for their fifth in a row.

And Arsenal are not likely to want to lose Trossard – who has had to accept a lot of appearances off the bench since joining the Gunners – after he scored an important opening goal in their 2-0 win at Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the season.

But Romano has revealed that Arsenal are now faced with a decision over Trossard’s future after Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad submitted a €35m (£29.5m) bid.

Romano wrote on X: “EXCLUSIVE: Saudi side Al Ittihad submit proposal in the region of €35m for Leandro Trossard. Decision up to Arsenal as he’s always been an important player for Arteta. Official proposal arrives ahead of Saudi Pro League deadline, as Al Ittihad keep looking for new winger.”

Arsenal were linked with a number of strikers over the summer, including Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney, but they decided against any transfer.

On whether Arsenal tried for any other strikers apart from Benjamin Sesko, journalist Charles Watts wrote in his Caught Offside column: “There was lots of talk about Arsenal signing a striker during the summer, but I never got the impression that was something they were really looking to do once their move for Benjamin Sesko proved unsuccessful.

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“Sesko was a player they had tracked for a while and – thanks to his release clause – they felt he was available at a price that was under his actual market value. It was an opportunity they felt was too good to pass up. That’s why they tried to get a deal done, but I never looked at it and thought that if they signed him, that he would be coming in as first choice starter ahead of Kai Havertz. He was always more of a development signing. Someone who would get plenty of game time, but would be more of a squad addition at first rather than a starter.

“So it wasn’t a case of Arsenal going into the window determined to sign a new centre forward. They were always quite happy with what they had. He was just someone who was possibly available that they felt was worth moving for. When it didn’t happen, I was always of the opinion that a winger would be more likely to arrive than a forward in what time was left of the transfer window.

“What Arsenal’s move for Sesko did show was that they are willing to spend big money on a striker if they believe he is the right player. What they won’t do is just spend money for the sake of it and risk bringing someone in that they are not convinced will be the right fit or the right type of profile.

“So this summer they kept their powder dry and decided they had enough to get through this season with what they had. Next summer, however, could be a different story.”