Exclusive: Italian giants join the chase for Irish striking sensation Evan Ferguson

Jose Mourinho has become the latest big-name manager to cast his eye over Evan Ferguson.

The Roma manager has signalled his interest in bringing the teenager to Serie A.

The Italian giants are drawing up their summer transfer wish list.

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And it is believed that they are in the very early stages of exploring whether there would be a willingness by the player and his club Brighton to facilitate a move.

However, they are likely to be told to wait, with the Seagulls determined to hold onto Ferguson beyond this summer.

Last month they took the dramatic step of handing the youngster his second new contract in six months.

The latest deal reflected Ferguson’s sensational Premier League breakthrough and the rapid rise in his value.

And with his new term running until 2028 - two years longer than his previous contract - it means Brighton can look for a higher fee in the event of a sale.

They remain confident that there won’t be any movement this summer, despite Mourinho joining a long list of admirers of the 18-year-old Ireland striker.

Manchester United’s Erik Ten Hag, and managerless Tottenham and Chelsea are among the others.

There has also been reports of interest from La Liga and the Bundesliga for the man who scored his first senior Ireland goal in his first start, in the March friendly against Latvia.

Ferguson has scored eight goals in 21 first-team appearances for Brighton so far this season.

But that statistic doesn’t tell the full story, as he has come off the bench in eight of those matches and has completed 90 minutes just once.

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