Arsenal 'REJECT shock £29.5m bid for  Leandro Trossard from Saudi giants Al Ittihad' - as Mikel Arteta's side insist the winger is 'not for sale' and remains a 'key member' of their squad

Arsenal have reportedly turned down a shock £29.5million bid for Leandro Trossard from Saudi Pro League giants Al Ittihad.  

Despite the transfer deadline in England and Scotland already passing, clubs from Saudi Arabia can still sign players.

This means that Mikel Arteta's side would not be able to sign a replacement for the Belgian, should they decide to sell him. 

According to The Athletic, the Saudi Pro League side made a preliminary offer for a season-long loan, including a fee of £4.2m with an obligation to buy next summer for a price between £16-£21m (€20-25m).

The outlet report that Arsenal made clear the 29-year-old is not for sale at any price as remains is a key part of Mikel Arteta’s squad. 

The 29-year-old joined Arsenal from Brighton in January 2023 in a deal worth £27million and has gone on to record 19 goals and 12 assists from 71 appearances.

Had Trossard agreed to the move, he would've been joining the likes of Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby and N'Golo Kante with Saudi side Al-Ittihad.

There had been doubts over Trossard's place within the Arsenal squad for the 2024-25 campaign following the deadline day arrival of Raheem Sterling. 

On a dramatic transfer deadline day, that also saw Jadon Sancho close in on a move to Stamford Bridge, the Gunners swooped to sign Sterling from their London rivals as they closed in on finally ending their attempts to sign a new attacker.

There is no obligation to buy option in the deal, finalised in the early hours of Saturday morning.

'It's an unbelievable feeling. It's really exciting. I'm buzzing,' said Sterling.

'It's one where we kind of left it late but it's one I was hoping for. Looking at everything, I'm just, like, 'This is a perfect fit for me', and I'm super happy we got it over the line.

'I spoke with [sporting director] Edu and I said you can see the real togetherness from Mikel's time here and you see the journey the boys are on.

'You can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I'm looking to be a part of.'

Mail Sport reported on Thursday that Arsenal had been offered Sterling, along with Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman.

And Arsenal moved decisively to formalise their interest in Sterling on Friday afternoon before wrapping up the formalities of the deal.