Leeds United are bracing themselves for another push from Brighton for striker Georginio Rutter, according to reports.

Brighton are on the lookout for new options in the final third after they allowed German striker Deniz Undav to make his loan to Stuttgart a permanent transfer.

The Seagulls can currently call upon Joao Pedro, Danny Welbeck and talented Irish youngster Evan Ferguson in the No.9 spot, but that trio scored just 20 Premier League goals between them in 2023/24 — four of which were penalties.

According to The Sunday People (via MOT Leeds News), Brighton are considering coming back to the table for Rutter after seeing an initial £30m bid rejected.

Rutter arrived at Leeds from Hoffenheim in January 2023 for a fee that could rise to a club-record £36m (per BBC Sport).

The former France youth international initially struggled to adjust to English football, failing to score in 13 appearances across all competitions at the end of the 2023/24 campaign — including 11 Premier League outings.

However, Rutter performed brilliantly as a second striker last season, notching eight goals and 17 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions, including six goals and 15 assists in 45 Championship games.

Daniel Farke will be praying he can keep hold of Rutter following a summer where Leeds have already seen Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray, Glen Kamara and Luis Sinisterra leave for handsome fees, while Wilfried Gnonto continues to be linked with a move away from Elland Road.

The post Leeds United fear losing star forward as Premier League club returns with second bid appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Man United are reportedly weighing up a late £50m move for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson as the Machester club are concerned about the interest of Chelsea.

The West London club are very close to announcing the signing of Samu Omorodion after the Blues agreed to sign the striker from Atletico Madrid as part of a €40m deal, however, Enzo Maresca is yet to see a top number nine arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer.

According to the Daily Star, Chelsea have become interested in Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and could make a move for the 19-year-old before the transfer window shuts.

The report states that this is a big concern for Man United and that the Manchester club could make a £50m move for the Ireland international during the current transfer window to beat Chelsea in the race for the talented striker.

United have had a long-term interest in Ferguson and the youngster is a player the Red Devils’ new sporting director Dan Ashworth knows well having brought the Irishman to Brighton from Bohemians three years ago.

Do Man United need Brighton’s Evan Ferguson?

Man United have put a lot of faith in Rasmus Hojlund to lead their forward line for many years having spent £72m on the Danish talent and giving him a five-year contract at Old Trafford. The 21-year-old had a mixed campaign last time around and is hoping for a big upcoming season.

However, the striker is currently injured and will be out of action for a few weeks with new signing Joshua Zirkzee set to take his place.

The Red Devils acquired the Dutch star from Bologna this summer as part of a £36.5m deal and will provide Hojlund with the necessary support at Old Trafford.

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That begs the question do Man United need to spend £50m on Ferguson? Other areas in Erik ten Hag’s squad need more urgent addressing and it is unlikely that the Irishman will leave Brighton this summer off the back of a poor campaign.

The Manchester club should be patient and see how the 19-year-old performs this season and if they still want the striker, then make a move for the player in 2025.

The post Man United’s Dan Ashworth fears Chelsea interest in £50m Premier League target appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler has confirmed the club’s interest in veteran German defender Mats Hummels and believes they may have the edge in negotiations. 

The 35-year-old was one of the stars for Borussia Dortmund last season as they reached the Champions League final.

However, the veteran was unable to stop Dortmund from succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid at Wembley, with second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr settling the tie.

Hummels — a 78-time Germany international and 2014 World Cup winner — left Dortmund at the end of the season upon the expiry of his contract.

Naturally given his quality and experience, Hummels is in high demand as a free agent and AC Milan were the first major European side to be linked with his signature earlier in the summer.

More recently, West Ham United were revealed as another potential suitor for Hummels, who is a five-time Bundesliga champion with Dortmund and Bayern Munich combined.

Brighton to sign Hummels?

West Ham recently completed the signing of French defender Jean-Clair Todibo on loan from Nice, making a swoop for Hummels more unlikely.

Brighton are the latest club heavily linked with his signature and German manager Fabian Hürzeler was asked recently about the club’s interest.

Hürzeler has given a very honest outline of the Seagulls’ stance and even hinted that he may have the edge in negotiations because of his personal relationship with Hummels and his family.

“We have mutual respect and had good conversations, and at the end of the day, the player has to decide whether he can commit to the club 100%,” said Hürzeler (via Get Football News Germany).

“I have a connection with the Hummels family for quite some time, which started back during my time at Bayern Munich. So the foundation is always there when I deal with the Hummels family.”

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Tottenham Hotspur are considering selling winger Manor Solomon this summer, with interest from three Premier League clubs.

According to TBR Football, Brighton, Leicester City, and Wolves have all expressed interest in signing Solomon.

While Tottenham are open to selling the 24-year-old on a permanent deal, the report suggests that an initial loan with an option to buy next summer is the most likely outcome.

The interest in Solomon is not limited to the Premier League. Clubs from Spain and Germany are also monitoring the situation, potentially setting up a competitive market for the winger.

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Manor Solomon’s time at Tottenham marred with injuries

Solomon joined Tottenham on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk but has struggled to make an impact at the North London club due to injuries.

A meniscus injury in his right knee kept him sidelined for much of the season, limiting him to just 198 minutes across five Premier League appearances, during which he managed to provide two assists.

Despite these setbacks, Solomon’s previous performances for Shakhtar, where he scored 22 goals and provided 9 assists in 106 appearances, make him an attractive target for mid-table Premier League clubs looking to bolster their attacking options.

Tottenham’s openness to a sale stems from the potential financial benefit. Since Solomon was signed on a free transfer, any sale would result in a pure profit for the club, which could be a motivating factor in their willingness to negotiate.

The post Premier League clubs eyeing move for Tottenham attacker with 22 goals & 9 assists; Spurs open to selling him appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Leicester City are leading the race to sign Brighton star Facundo Buonanotte and they could beat Scottish champions Celtic to sign the player, according to the Daily Mail.

It’s rumored that Buonanotte’s medical at Leicester might happen today.

The Foxes are hoping to find a loan arrangement that would allow him to play in their colors for the whole season.

Last season, Buonanotte made 36 appearances for Brighton in all competitions, with four goals and one assist.

The 19-year-old forward is a target for Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers as the player has been linked to a potential departure from the Seagulls.

Brighton are content that he is leaving on a loan, and it looks like Leicester are the team that will be signing the player.

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Feyenoord were reportedly in the process of completing a deal with the player, however, Leicester were reportedly “working on the deal in the background” and they have now won the race to sign him.

The Foxes are strengthening their squad this summer as they are looking to continue their stay in the Premier League beyond next season.

After losing manager Enzo Maresca and midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester were off to a poor start to the summer but after making some signings under new manager Steve Cooper, they are slowly building a competitive squad.

The post Leicester frontrunners to land Brighton forward this weekend appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea have reportedly discussed the name of Evan Ferguson in transfer discussions this week, according to Simon Phillips on his Substack.

The Brighton and Republic of Ireland international striker has long been considered a fine young talent, even if his form dipped in the second half of last season.

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid, but Phillips has listed a number of other strikers that could still be on the Blues’ radar.

Among those is Ferguson, who has supposedly been discussed by the decision makers at Stamford Bridge this week.

It remains to be seen if these internal talks will lead to anything more concrete or advanced in terms of an approach to Brighton or to the player, but it seems like it could be one to watch.

Ferguson transfer: Is he good enough for Chelsea?

This time last year there would surely have been a great deal of excitement about links between Ferguson and Chelsea, but many fans will now be questioning if the 19-year-old is really up the standard to take this team forwards.

It may be that Ferguson can still turn his form around, and he’s got time on his side, but he surely won’t be first choice for CFC right now, and is perhaps just being monitored as one for the future.

Elsewhere in Phillips’ piece, Victor Osimhen is mentioned as no longer looking that likely, even if the Napoli star is not considered impossible.

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The Nigeria international would surely be more what Chelsea need right now, though it would also raise the question as to why they bothered pursuing a deal for Omorodion.

Brighton have often had to sell a number of their star players, and that includes the likes of Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella to Chelsea in the last couple of years.

The post Chelsea have discussed potential Premier League transfer raid this week appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Brighton and Hove Albion are ‘seriously considering’ a move for German defender Mats Hummels, according to Florian Plettenberg.

The 35-year-old was one of the stars for Borussia Dortmund last season as they reached the Champions League final.

Hummels posted tournament-highs for tackles, interceptions, clearances, headed clearances and possessions won in the defensive third as part of a Dortmund side that kept more clean sheets (6) than any other team.

However, the veteran was unable to stop Dortmund from succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid at Wembley, with second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr settling the tie.

Hummels — a 78-time Germany international and 2014 World Cup winner — left Dortmund at the end of the season upon the expiry of his contract.

Naturally given his quality and experience, Hummels is in high demand as a free agent and AC Milan were the first major European side to be linked with his signature earlier in the summer.

More recently, West Ham United were revealed as another potential suitor for Hummels, who is a five-time Bundesliga champion with Dortmund and Bayern Munich combined.

Brighton to hijack West Ham’s Hummels move?

According to Plettenberg, West Ham are at risk of losing out on Hummels with Brighton ‘seriously considering’ a move for the ball-playing centre-back — who is still also considering retirement.

“Brighton, seriously considering to sign Mats Hummels as a free agent,” the Sky Sports Germany reporter wrote on X. “There was a phone call between coach Fabian Hürzeler and Hummels in the last days about Brighton‘s project, Hummels’ ambition and more.

“Brighton [are] very open to signing Hummels as an experienced central defender. [The] 35-year-old has not yet made a final decision whether to continue or end his career.”

The post Major West Ham concern as rival ‘seriously considering’ hijacking transfer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Last summer Liverpool and Chelsea battled it out to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and the midfielder has now stated that it was “100% the right” decision to move to Stamford Bridge.

The Ecuador star impressed many during his time with the Seagulls, which led to Liverpool and Chelsea becoming interested in the midfield star.

The two Premier League giants went head-to-head by submitting huge offers to Brighton for Caicedo and in the end the London club won the race having agreed a British-record fee of £115m.

This was an incredible amount of money for a club to be paying for a defensive midfielder and so far it has not paid off as the 22-year-old was largely underwhelming last season. However, being so young, that could change for the Chelsea star very quickly and the Ecuadorian talent has said that he made the right decision to move to Stamford Bridge.

“I still remember one year ago… difficult decision, Liverpool is a big team but Chelsea were with me for a couple months and I felt like I couldn’t miss this move,” Caicedo said via Fabrizio Romano.

“They were with me in tough times, it was a difficult decision… but 100% the right one.”

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Who has benefitted the most from Moises Caicedo’s decision?

Going off last season, Liverpool have benefitted the most from Caicedo deciding to join Chelsea as the Ecuador star was not very good and the Reds brought in players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for the money they would have spent on the former Brighton star – with the Argentina international being the cheapest and the best of the bunch.

However, the midfielder’s time shouldn’t be judged just yet as the London club has been in chaos ever since their new owners arrived and many hope this season it will settle.

The 22-year-old is undoubtedly a good player and the upcoming campaign will be the biggest of his career as the former Brighton star needs to start justifying the British-record fee Chelsea paid for him last summer.

The post “100% the right” decision not to join Liverpool says former big-money Reds target appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea have been dealt a potentially damaging transfer blow after Brighton and Hove Albion have reportedly begun talks with Celtic over the signing of Matt O’Riley.

After reaching an agreement with Atletico Madrid worth £33 million for England international Conor Gallagher, Chelsea were almost immediately linked with signing O’Riley as the midfielder’s direct replacement (Sky Sports).

Brighton open talks to sign Celtic’s Matt O’Riley

However, according to a recent report from Sky Sports News reporter Lyall Thomas, Enzo Maresca could be beaten to the 23-year-old after Brighton took the initiative and started discussions with Celtic over a potential summer transfer.

“Brighton are in talks with Celtic over a deal for Matt O’Riley,” the outlet posted on their live transfer blog.

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“They are among a number of clubs keen to sign the midfielder this summer.”

While Gallagher’s move to Atletico Madrid has yet to be officially confirmed, with the 24-year-old heading to Spain for a medical, fans are anticipating an announcement sooner rather than later.

As for O’Riley, clearly admired by a host of top clubs, Celtic will fear they’re going into the SPL’s game week two without the help of their number 33.

Scoring 19 goals and registering 18 assists in 49 games in all competitions last season, O’Riley’s contributions will take a lot of replacing.

The Danish midfielder, who was born in London in 2000, has three years left on his contract with the Hoops.

The post Chelsea sent to back of queue as rival EPL club in talks to sign Gallagher replacement appeared first on CaughtOffside.

It’s a foregone conclusion that Eddie Nketiah will leave Arsenal in the current transfer window.

With Marseille reported to be seriously interested in his services, it would appear to be a matter of time before a deal is offered that is acceptable to the Gunners.

Roberto De Zerbi is clearly trying to make his mark at the Ligue Un giants, and it’s his former club, Brighton and Hove Albion, that could play a part in helping to get the Nketiah deal over the line.

Brighton ace could be Nketiah replacement at Arsenal

According to Football Transfers, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s sporting director, Edu, have discussed the possibility of bringing the Seagulls’ 22-year-old Joao Pedro to the Emirates Stadium as Nketiah’s replacement.

The outlet suggest that Brighton would demand in the region of £50m for their player, given his age and potential projection over the coming years.

With the Gunners seemingly keen not to overpay for any player, they could baulk at such a price, given that Brighton signed him for just £28m/€34m (transfermarkt) from Watford a year ago.

He did manager to plunder 20 goals and three assists (WhoScored) during a remarkable 2023/24 campaign, however, and that could well tip the balance.

Even if he may not be considered as a first choice at Arsenal, it’s clear that Joao Pedro has the talent to be able to consistently put pressure on any players that may be in front of him.

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Furthermore, Arsenal’s strength in depth is likely to be the deciding factor in whether they can overhaul Man City in the title race, and to that end, even if they have to stump up £50m, it might just turn out to be money well spent.

Ultimately, the size of the fee and the will of the player is likely to determine what happens next.

The post Surprise 22-year-old target with 23 G/A emerges as Nketiah replacement at Arsenal appeared first on CaughtOffside.