Club Brugge have ruled out the sale of Arsenal transfer target Nicolo Tresoldi in January, according to reports in Belgium.
Tresoldi, 22, has enjoyed an outstanding start to the new campaign, scoring nine goals in his opening 13 appearances in all competitions for the reigning Belgian champions. It follows on from Tresoldi's exceptional debut season with Brugge last term, when he finished as the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League with a tally of 19 goals in 40 top-flight games – two clear of his then team-mate Christos Tzolis.
Remarkably, the Germany U21 international's stunning hat-trick against St Truiden on Sunday was his third in the space of just 26 days for club and country.
Arsenal's interest in Tresoldi
The Sun last week reported that Tresoldi's barnstorming form in front of goal had not gone unnoticed in the Premier League and Arsenal were credited with a strong interest in the young striker. The Gunners were said to be actively 'exploring' a potential bid to prise Tresoldi away from Belgium this winter amid serious doubts over Viktor Gyokeres' future in north London.
However, according to Belgian publication Het Nieuwsblad, the English champions will be left disappointed should they launch a move for the Italy-born attacker in January.
Brugge's firm stance
While Tresoldi is becoming 'increasingly difficult to keep' for Brugge, it's claimed the sought-after centre-forward is 'not for sale', even if the club receive a 'massive' or 'astronomical' offer in the upcoming window. 'There is and will be no price for Nicolo,' an unnamed board member told the Flemish newspaper.
The report stresses that it would be a firm 'no' should a major European power come calling, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen also believed to be admirers.
Brugge are determined to keep Tresoldi as the focal point of Ivan Leko's attack as they look to defend their Belgian league title and enjoy a successful season in the Champions League this term. It's claimed the situation is likely to change in six months' time, though, when Brugge will not 'slow down Tresoldi's career' by blocking his path towards bigger and better things. Tresoldi's current contract with Brugge runs through to June 2029.
Tresoldi and Leko speak out
'It's nice, I'm scoring a lot of goals and that's the most important thing for me, and, of course, to win the games,' Tresoldi told DAZN when asked to explain his emotions after his hat-trick heroics in Brugge's 3-2 win over St Truiden at the weekend.
When asked if he had any tips to help defenders to stop him from scoring, the former Hannover 96 man replied: 'I hope they don't find a way! I'm trying to become as complete as possible, not only in the box but I'm trying also to be more complete outside the box. It's important to help the team to defend also and, of course, my job at the end is to score goals. If I can continue like this then it's going to be a good season.'
In an interview with Flashscore this week, Brugge head coach Leko challenged Tresoldi to further showcase the 'talent' and 'potential' he possesses in what he described as a 'vital' season for the striker. 'He is another top lad who is completely dedicated to his craft,' the Croatian said. 'He is always the first to arrive at the training ground and the last to leave. Everything he does is done with conviction and a drive to improve. On the pitch he has exceptional qualities. He is a very complete striker who can score goals, link up play, press aggressively and take real responsibility during the game. This season is vital for him. It's his second year to build on and confirm all the talent and potential he has.'
