Arsenal alert: Trossard in Villa's sights amid former teammate exit talk

Aston Villa have initiated contact with Arsenal over the potential signing of forward Leandro Trossard, while Trossard's former teammate, Leon Bailey is in talks with Roma over a possible exit from Villa Park.

According to Football Transfers, Villa and Arsenal opened discussions on Tuesday with Villa now in the market for a winger.

Apparently, this is not Villa's first approach for Trossard. A similar discussion is reported to have taken place in January when the Birmingham club became aware that Arsenal were negotiating a new deal with the player. That offer remains on the table but left unsigned by Trossard.

Trossard's value is a difficult one to pin down. Arsenal would probably ask for something in the region of £18m but he is unlikely to fetch that much with less than a year left to run on his contract.

Trossard could prove to be a bargain for Villa

Villa have their own problems in getting a deal done. They have been close to breaking PSR rules in recent seasons and have needed to sell before they could buy. Revenue from an excellent Champions League campaign has helped generate usable transfer funds. A proven player at Champions League level doesn't come cheap, making Trossard an ideal target.

Arsenal have reportedly left the decision to the player. Having played a minor role in pre-season after picking up a thigh injury in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in Hong-Kong, Trossard is unlikely to be fit for the Premier League opener against United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Brentford have also registered an interest in signing Trossard. The Bees are looking to boost their attacking options in the wake of selling Brian Mbuemo to Manchester United and Yoane Wissa's repeated attempts to leave the club and join Newcastle.

Villa consider loan offer with obligation to but for Leon Bailey

Villa will attempt to reduce the impact of spending big on Trossard by getting another salary off their books.

Roma have reportedly made an offer to loan Bailey for the season with an obligation to buy clause inserted in to the contract.

As has become commonplace these days, Bailey will train away from the first team as discussions continue.

Trossard and Bailey trod very different paths to the Premier League

What the 52-year-old Genk manager, Peater Maes, was quite thinking, when he substituted 19-year-old right winger Leon Bailey and brought on the 21-year-old Leandro Trossard after 45 minutes with Genk 2-0 down at KV Kortrijk in September 2016, is anybody's guess. Whatever the reason, Maes' plan backfired and Genk lost the match 4-1 despite Trossard scoring.

Trossard had not quite found his way in the Belgian pro-league yet and he had just returned from his fourth loan spell away from the club. The winger didn't make a sustained impact for Genk in the Belgian pro-league until the 2018/19 season when he scored 14 goals in 34 matches. He was 24.

Brighton and Hove Albion scouts had been keeping tabs on the 24-year-old and brought him to the Amex in the summer of 2019, where he played 121 times for the Seagulls before moving to Arsenal in 2023.

In contrast, Bailey left Genk in January 2017 for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. The Jamaican hit the ground running and played a total of 156 times in the four years that he was in Germany. Aston Villa came knocking in 2021 and in his time at Villa Park, Bailey has played 144 times, scoring 22 times, and registering 24 assists.

Leandro Trossard has been a reliable player for Arsenal. As a substitute, he has often been the difference in tight matches. Now, as Arsenal strive to sign the next level players: those who can bring the Premier League title, Trossard is surplus to requirements. That said, Trossard's impact should not be forgotten. He deserves an excellent move.