Brighton star becomes Xavi’s ‘ideal’ Barcelona signing, as €30m offer mooted
Brighton ace Leandro Trossard is a target for Spanish giants Barcelona, according to the latest reports.
The left winger came through Genk’s academy in his native Belgium. Following several loan spells, he became a first-team regular during the 2016-17 campaign.
Trossard went on to make 120 appearances for the Jupiler Pro League outfit in all competitions, scoring 39 goals. Brighton saw his huge potential and brought him to the Premier League in 2019 by completing an £18m deal.
The 26-year-old is one of Graham Potter’s top performers at the Amex Stadium. He scored the winner in September’s victory over Brentford, before netting in consecutive draws against Liverpool and Newcastle.
Trossard was unlucky not to add to his tally in Brighton’s goalless draw with Leeds at the weekend. He had a venomous shot tipped onto the post by Whites keeper Illan Meslier.
The Argus, citing reports in the Spanish press, write that Trossard’s future is uncertain amid interest from Barcelona. The Belgium international is Xavi’s ‘ideal’ capture. He would add plenty of pace and zip to the Blaugrana’s forward line.
Barca are considering an approach worth between €25-30m (£21-25m) ahead of next year. They are broke as things stand but could reach that amount through player sales.
The report does not detail Brighton’s transfer stance, although they will put up a strong fight to keep Trossard. The Seagulls’ stubbornness was on show when Leeds came in for centre-back Ben White last year. He only left the south coast when Arsenal paid £50m in July.
Trossard’s contract expires in 2023 and is worth around £50,000 a week. Brighton will need to negotiate a new deal in the coming months if they want to ward off Barca for good.
Potter directs ‘history lesson’ jibe at Brighton fans
Following the stalemate against Leeds, Brighton were booed by their own fans. The supporters had seen another impressive display without the players being able to capitalise on their chances.
On the issue, Potter said: “I am a little bit perplexed to the reaction in the crowd at the end because the performance was fantastic against a team that like to dominate possession, like to out-run you, they didn’t do that today.
“If we are going to be self-critical, we probably need to score, but that’s life and it can happen in football – the effort, the performance, the quality is there, we have to maintain that level and if we do that we’ll get wins.”
In a separate interview, the Englishman added: “The fans are entitled to their opinions but I disagree with them.
“You have to understand the game, who we played and what we did. We are sitting eighth in the Premier League but maybe I need a history lesson on this club.
“We will continue to play with the same level of courage and bravery going forward. But for today we have to take the point and the clean sheet.”
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