Football Insider has revealed that Chelsea are considering stepping up their interest in Brighton & Hove Albion star Leandro Trossard.
Chelsea have made Trossard one of their priority targets with his contract set to expire next summer. It is understood that Brighton do not want to sell the midfielder and are willing to risk losing him for free next summer. The Seagulls though, do reserve the option of extending his stay at Amex stadium by a further 12 months.
The Blues are ready to open preliminary talks with the Belgian attacker this winter with their sights set on getting an agreement in place with him before they approach Brighton. Trossard is valued at around £25m by Transfermarkt but Chelsea may hope to drive that price down given his contract situation.
The Belgium international has been in red-hot form this season, amassing seven goals and three assists in his 14 appearances for the Albion. Overall he has made 118 appearances for Brighton since joining them in 2019 and has managed to notch 25 goals and 14 assists.
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It is no surprise why Graham Potter is chasing Trossard’s signature. Having previously coached him at Amex, Trossard could unlock his best version under Potter at Stamford Bridge. He has the attributes and the pace to succeed in Potter’s dynamic attacking system and he has also taken his finishing up by a notch this term, warranting Chelsea’s interest in him.
The former Brighton boss has so far struggled to make in-roads at Chelsea but will have the opportunity to reshape his squad this winter – which will be his first transfer window since replacing Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea have not been able to score goals on a consistent basis this season and that has hurt them. The poor forms of Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have not helped either. Moreover, with Hakim Ziyech looking set to leave for AC Milan, the Blues could be well poised to sign Trossard as they can offer him UEFA Champions League football.
It remains to be seen if Brighton decide to enter the negotiations for Trossard but as it stands, they are in no mood to sell their in-form attacker midway through a season.
