Brighton are confident of agreeing a new deal with teenage forward Evan Ferguson in a bid to ward off interest from several clubs, including Manchester United.
Ferguson has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, having scored eight goals in 18 appearances for the Seagulls in all competitions. The 18-year-old also recently made his international debut for Republic of Ireland and Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi is confident he will become a "great player".
"His best quality is to score and it's a very important quality but I think he has potential to improve in other parts of the pitch, to play with the other players, to play more for the team," De Zerbi said after Ferguson scored in Brighton's 2-0 win over Bournemouth earlier this month.
"In my work I have to make results but I have to help my players to improve, to progress. But I think we can achieve our target with Evan. I'm proud for him, I think the same for our scouting in our club. He can become a great player."
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe is also a fan of Ferguson, complimenting the youngster ahead of Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifier against France. "We watched some of his plays, he's a very good striker," Mbappe said. "We'll be very wary of him and, hopefully, we won't see him much."
And United have been linked with a move for Ferguson, with manager Erik ten Hag keen to add some more firepower to his squad with Marcus Rashford the only player to score more than five Premier League goals so far this season.
The Daily Mail claim that United are keen to sign Ferguson this summer along with a more experienced forward, but Brighton are confident he will remain on the south coast. The report states they are 'hopeful of agreeing a new contract' with him, despite Ferguson growing up as a United supporter.
Ferguson is said to be happy to remain at Brighton, given the regular playing time he is getting and 'sees no need to leave just yet'. And Brighton owner Tony Bloom is hopeful he will be going nowhere anytime soon.
"I can't guarantee what will happen in the future but for the short term I have no doubt, the best place for Evan to be is at Brighton & Hove Albion," he said. "I believe he'll be here for at least a few seasons to come. That'll be good for his career. Long term, the world is his oyster."
