Brighton & Hove Albion will reportedly demand a British record fee for star striker Evan Ferguson, despite interest from a number of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur.
Since establishing himself as a first-team regular under head coach Roberto De Zerbi, the 19-year-old has developed into one of the Premier League’s brightest prospects.
Ferguson has 15 goals in 43 games for Brighton in all competitions, including 10 goals in 25 appearances last season as the Seagulls finished sixth in the Premier League and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history.
Ferguson has scored 10 Premier League goals in 2023, making him the first teenager since Wayne Rooney in 2005 to do so.
The Republic of Ireland international, who has three goals in eight appearances for his country, recently signed a new long-term contract with Brighton that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2029.
However, the rumour mill has linked the highly-rated striker with a big-money exit from the Seagulls ahead of 2024.
According to talkSPORT, Tottenham have identified Ferguson as a long-term replacement for Harry Kane, who left Tottenham after 19 years to join Bayern Munich.
According to the report, Manchester United and Chelsea are also interested in signing the Irishman, while Manchester City is not currently considering a move for the striker.
However, Brighton are under no obligation to sell Ferguson, who does not have a release clause in his new contract, and it is expected that a bid in excess of £100 million will be required to persuade the Seagulls to sell the teenager.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom believes Ferguson is more valuable than midfielder Moises Caicedo, whom the Seagulls sold to Chelsea for a British record £115 million in the summer.
Since Kane’s departure from Tottenham, new head coach Ange Postecoglou has used Richarlison and Son Heung-min as central strikers, with the latter scoring more goals this season.
Indeed, Son has scored eight goals in 12 Premier League appearances this season, whereas Richarlison, who recently underwent groin surgery, has scored just once in 11 top-flight games this season and was moved out to the left flank prior to his injury.
Man United, meanwhile, have struggled to score goals this season, scoring just 13 times in 12 Premier League games, with only six teams scoring fewer, and it has been speculated that the Red Devils will look to sign a new attacker in January to compete with the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, and Antony.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been linked with a move for a new center-forward in 2024, with Ferguson reportedly one of several names on their shortlist, along with Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
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