Arsenal are ready to accelerate a move for former Norwich City winger Christos Tzolis now that Leandro Trossard is closing in on an exit to Besiktas.
According to a fresh update from the Pink Un, Trossard has been pictured in Besiktas kit after the Turkish club reached agreement with Arsenal on a fee reported at around £17m, clearing the path for the Gunners to move for Tzolis as his replacement. Tzolis left Carrow Road for Club Brugge in the summer of 2024 after failing to settle in 27 appearances across three years, but has since become one of Belgian football’s most productive attackers, and Arsenal are understood to value him at around £35m.
Fabrizio Romano Confirms Tzolis Is Prioritising A Gunners Move
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Tzolis is keen on the move and that his camp has told a rival suitor they are “waiting for Arsenal”, giving the Premier League champions priority as they look to replace Trossard on the left of Mikel Arteta’s attack. Trossard’s own move was not entirely straightforward — his representative had suggested he could yet stay in north London — but the winger’s arrival in Besiktas colours appears to have settled the point.
Norwich sold Tzolis to Club Brugge for a fee understood to be a fraction of his current valuation, and his rise since leaving England has made him one of the more eye-catching examples of a former Canary’s stock rising sharply elsewhere. A permanent Arsenal move, if it happens, would rank among the most eye-catching outcomes for any player to have passed through Carrow Road in recent years.
Nothing is signed yet, and Romano’s reporting stresses that Arsenal are waiting for final confirmation on Trossard before pushing the Tzolis deal over the line. But with the Besiktas move now visibly progressing, the timeline for a Tzolis switch appears to be shortening.
What Happens Next
Should the move go through, it would close the loop on a Tzolis-to-Arsenal link that has been running since mid-June, and would give Norwich fans another reminder of the club’s recent recruitment misses following a transfer window otherwise focused on rebuilding under Philippe Clement.
