"Personal terms already agreed" - Fabrizio Romano confirms Arsenal are in advanced negotiations to sign Belgian international

Arsenal are reportedly in negotiations with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding a move for Belgian forward Leandro Trossard.

Transfer news specialist Fabrizio Romano broke the news on Thursday (January 19) via his Twitter page. As per one of his latest posts, Arsenal have already reached an agreement on personal terms with Trossard. They are yet to agree a fee with the Seagulls for the player, who they want to sign on a permanent deal.

Romano tweeted:

"EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal have opened talks to sign Leandro Trossard from Brighton, negotiations are advanced with official bid ready for permanent move."

He further added:

"Personal terms already agreed — talks will continue to get deal done soon."

EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal have opened talks to sign Leandro Trossard from Brighton, negotiations are advanced with official bid ready for permanent move. 🚨⚪️🔴 #AFC

Personal terms already agreed — talks will continue to get deal done soon. https://t.co/WgiCtz1jG1

Trossard could prove to be an exciting signing for the Gunners, who recently missed out on signing Mykhailo Mudryk. The Premier League leaders seemed to have monitored Mudryk for some time and even submitted three bids to Shakhtar Donetsk for the player. However, the Ukrainian eventually joined Chelsea.

Trossard, 28, would represent a forward with proven Premier League experience should Arsenal agree a deal with Brighton. He can also bring versatility to a young frontline given his ability to play on the left and as a second striker.

The Belgian has been with the Seagulls since the summer of 2019 when he joined from KRC Genk. In nearly four years with the club, he has made 116 league appearances, contributing 25 goals and 14 assists.

Rumored Arsenal target Leandro Trossard has not featured for Brighton in 2023

Leandro Trossard began the 2022-23 Premier League campaign in good form. The Belgian scored twice and assisted twice in Brighton & Hove Albion's first six league matches, helping them pick up four wins and a draw.

He continued his good run of form up until the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he appeared in all three group-stage matches for Belgium. However, a misunderstanding with current Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi has meant Trossard has not played since the turn of the year.

De Zerbi revealed earlier this month that he was unhappy with the Arsenal-linked forward's attitude (as quoted by The Guardian). He later stated that Trossard had left training early when told that he would not start the Seagulls' FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough, which led to him being dropped from their squad.

De Zerbi said (via the aforementioned source):

“It’s not good. The Monday after, I spoke with him and I explained this attitude, this behaviour, I don’t like.”

Trossard's agent, Josy Comhair, released a statement last week indicating his client's desire to leave Brighton.

Comhair stated that the forward had an altercation with a teammate in training after the FIFA World Cup. He claimed that De Zerbi stopped speaking to Trossard after the incident, and that the Brighton boss himself had indicated that a transfer was the best step going forward.

Official statement by Leandro Trossard agent Josy Comhair after Belgian star excluded for next game by Roberto de Zerbi 🔵🇧🇪 #BHAFC

“The manager humiliated Leandro in the group — also he indicated that a transfer is the best solution” ⤵️ https://t.co/iVhbjKp04j

Comhair also added that the Belgian had stopped training ahead of the Middlesbrough clash due to a calf injury, for which he had consulted Brighton's medical staff. This was in contrast to De Zerbi's complaints about the player's attitude.

Prior to these issues, Trossard had netted seven goals and laid out three assists in 16 Premier League matches.