Chelsea are set to face competition in their pursuit to sign Brighton & Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard after reports have claimed Newcastle United are keen on the Belgian.
Trossard has been in red-hot form the Seagulls this season, with seven Premier League goals in 12 appearances and continued his impressive start to the campaign in Graham Potter's return to the Amex Stadium over the weekend as they ran out 4-1 winners.
The Belgium international's strike gave the Seagulls the lead in the fifth minute as Roberto De Zerbi's men netted three first half goals to condemn Chelsea to their first loss under Potter in 10 games. Trossard's most impressive outing of the season came in October when he scored a hat-trick at Anfield against Liverpool.
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Since Potter switched Brighton for London, Trossard has been heavily linked over the possibility of following his former boss and recent reports over the past few days have claimed that the 27-year-old impressed the Blues hierarchy with his performance in the 4-1 win.
Trossard himself has already admitted that he would join the club 'if the opportunity arises' but he may be tempted with a move elsewhere following reports that cash-rich Premier League rivals Newcastle have entered the transfer battle. According to the Northern Echo, he has been hand-picked as one of Eddie Howe's options ahead of the January transfer window.
The Magpies have endured a terrific start to the season and currently occupy the final Champions League spot after 13 games. Tempting big-name players has not been a problem for the Tyneside club, with Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman all having signed for them since the takeover of PCP Capital Partners over a year ago.
Chelsea do hold one advantage in the battle for Trossard, however. Graham Potter. The Blues boss played a huge role in the development of the winger after signing him from Genk in 2019 and could assist Todd Boehly in completing the deal in January.
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