Aston Villa won’t be beating Brighton and Hove Albion to Leandro Trossard.
According to The Argus, Genk winger Leandro Trossard will join Brighton and Hove Albion on a five-year deal despite late interest from Aston Villa.
Trossard, 24, enjoyed a superb season with Genk, racking up 22 goals and 11 assists whilst playing mostly as a left winger for the Belgian side.
Premier League clubs have been heavily linked with a move to sign Trossard, but it seems that Brighton have won the race to sign him for around £18million.
It’s stated that Trossard has agreed a five-year deal with the Seagulls, becoming their club-record signing once he completes his medical.
That’s a huge relief for Brighton, as The Argus had reported earlier on Monday that there were fears of Aston Villa swooping in to hijack the deal.
Trossard’s agent went back to Belgium without a deal in place with Brighton, giving Villa hope of a late move, but Brighton have now ensured that Trossard is heading to the South Coast.
That’s a blow for Villa, as Trossard would have been a hugely exciting addition on the left flank, where Dean Smith may well look for a new signing after releasing Albert Adomah.
Villa’s interest in Trossard may also be a nod towards Smith and co looking more and more at the Belgian market, having already landed Wesley from Club Brugge.
Villa may well find more gems over in Belgium, but they’ll have to hope that Trossard doesn’t haunt them in the Premier League next season.