Football has no room for sentiment. Arsenal is proving that once again as they prepare to part ways with Leandro Trossard. According to reports from The Athletic, Turkish giants Besiktas have shaken hands on a deal worth €20 million (£17.1m) for the Belgian forward. The math is simple. It is an €18m base fee with another €2m in add-ons. Arsenal knows the score.
Trossard is 31. His contract expires in a year. In the brutal calculus of modern football, his transfer value has peaked and is about to plummet. While fans love him, elite clubs do not let assets rot on the vine. Personal terms are still being ironed out, with wages rumored around €9m. The deal is not quite done, but the writing is on the wall.
Let’s look at the ledger. Arsenal bought Trossard from Brighton in January 2023 for £27m. He gave them versatility, goals, and depth. Getting £17.1m back for a 31-year-old with twelve months left on his contract is brilliant business. No notes.
He was crucial last season. He played 50 times, bagging eight goals and 11 assists, starting 21 league matches as Arsenal lifted the 2025-26 Premier League trophy. His late winner at West Ham on May 10 will live long in the memory. He was a serious player, not a benchwarmer.
Right now, he is busy. Trossard is in the middle of a World Cup campaign with Belgium under Rudi Garcia, starting all four games so far. He scored twice against New Zealand and set up a goal in a comeback win over Senegal. Because of this, do not expect any official announcements until Belgium’s tournament ends.
His overall Arsenal career is highly respectable: 174 games, 36 goals, and 34 assists. He played left wing, he played false nine, and he never complained. His peak came in 2023-24 when he netted 16 times across the league and Europe.
For the fans, this hurts. Trossard was the ultimate squad player. No ego. No drama. Just results. He was never the poster boy, but he was the guy who showed up when the stars faded.
This is a cold, logical decision. Successful clubs make them. But fans have every right to worry. You do not easily replace a player who can change a game off the bench with zero warm-up. Arsenal won the league because of squad depth, and Trossard was the glue. If he heads to Istanbul, he leaves with his head held high.
