Saudi club offered to ‘triple’ £27m Arsenal star’s salary but he still rejected them to stay

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Arsenal had a fairly successful summer transfer window.

The Gunners signed five players in total – David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino on permanent deals; Neto and Raheem Sterling on season-long loans.

With respect to outgoings, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Aaron Ramsdale were sold, while the likes of Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Reiss Nelson were loaned out.

Another Arsenal player could’ve been sold for decent money in the summer, but that was never an option.

What happened when Al-Ittihad tried to sign Leandro Trossard from Arsenal

Arsenal signed Leandro Trossard for £27 million including add-ons from Brighton and Hove Albion in January 2023.

The Belgian wasn’t actually Arteta’s first choice. The Spaniard originally wanted to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk, but after Chelsea hijacked that deal, Arsenal turned to Trossard.

The Gunners definitely dodged a bullet with Mudryk. Trossard is levels above the Ukrainian, and his performances for Arsenal have mostly been brilliant.

After the summer transfer window shut in the Premier League, Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad decided to make a move to sign Trossard but Arsenal immediately rejected their offer.

There was no way the Gunners were going to let him go, especially after the English window shut.

TeamTalk now reveal that Trossard had no interest in moving to the Middle East either, even though the Saudi club offered to ‘triple’ his salary. He turned down their proposal and chose to stay.

Trossard earns £90,000-a-week at Arsenal, which means the Saudi offer must have been in the region of £270,000-a-week. That is a huge sum, but it wasn’t enough to turn the Belgian’s head.

Arsenal have a new plan for Trossard

Arsenal were right to reject Al-Ittihad’s offer for Trossard – it made no sense to sell him.

The Belgian has been in the news a lot recently after he received a controversial red card against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Some have called Trossard’s actions foolish, while others have pointed the finger at the referee and the PGMOL for ruining the game.

Arteta seems to be in the second camp as the Gunners boss is fully behind Trossard and even intends to give him a new contract soon, claims Het Nieuwsblad.

Trossard’s current deal at Arsenal expires in the summer of 2026.