Exclusive: Brighton decide to sell one of impressive quartet, with Arsenal and Chelsea target to stay put
TEAMtalk understands Brighton have decided they will allow Alexis Mac Allister to leave this summer, though the club will do all they can to keep three more impressive stars on the south coast.
Brighton continue to enjoy an excellent season under Roberto de Zerbi. It was unclear how well the Italian would do when replacing Graham Potter, but he has actually made Brighton even better.
The Seagulls resumed their chase for Europa League qualification by picking up an accomplished 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Conor Gallagher had given Chelsea the lead, but goals from Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso – with the latter being a sensational strike – handed De Zerbi’s men all three points.
With Brighton doing so well, it is no surprise England’s biggest teams are keeping tabs on their best players. The likes of Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma, Moises Caicedo and Evan Ferguson may all be the subject of bids this summer.
Amid all the transfer rumours, Graeme Bailey has provided TEAMtalk with the inside track on Brighton’s summer plans.
TEAMtalk has been told that Brighton intend to stand firm over the future of Caicedo as they insist there will be no exodus of talent at the end of the season.
Bailey added: “I am told that Brighton are happy with the situation within their squad, and fully intend on handing out new deals to the likes of Evan Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma.
“They believe Mitoma and Ferguson will follow on from Caicedo in pledging their futures to them.
Brighton ‘intend to keep’ Moises Caicedo
“However, there are issues to deal with – they know offers are going to come in, with Caicedo being one of the top targets. But as it stands they intend to keep him.
“The same can’t be said of Alexis Mac Allister. His father and representatives have made no secret of their desire to move him on. And Brighton’s hierarchy could be ready to let him move on, despite the fact he only signed a new deal before the World Cup finals.
“But the club want to insure that they don’t just lose all of their top talent, they are insistent on that.”
Brighton opting to keep highly rated midfielder Caicedo will be a blow for Arsenal and Chelsea, who both tried to sign him in January and maintain an interest in completing a deal.
Brighton handing Ferguson fresh terms will also give Manchester United and Tottenham an extra obstacle to overcome if they want to capture the exciting young striker.
In contrast, Liverpool will be interested to hear that Mac Allister will be available for transfer this summer. They have been tipped to pursue the Argentina international as an alternative to Jude Bellingham.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s Transfer Gossip includes Arsenal finding out exactly how much a midfield target will cost.