Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea among top European clubs soon to be THWARTED in pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion star: report

Brighton squad for 2024/25 LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Fabian Hurzeler the head coach of Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Goodison Park on August 17, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images).

Brighton & Hove Albion are no strangers to a headline sale when summer comes around.

They are, of course, the beneficiaries of Moises Caicedo’s £100m move to Chelsea in 2023, which made him the ninth-most expensive player of all time.

The Blues, among others, are circling the Seagulls once more, but the south-coast club have other ideas this time.

Clubs chasing Kaoru Mitoma may hit one key obstacle

Kaoru Mitoma has consistently excelled for Brighton (Image credit: Getty Images)

Premier League trio Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are joined by Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Al Nassr in their interest over Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, according to CaughtOffside.

The Japan international has been impressive again this season, but it may not be so easy for the footballing heavyweights to prise away the Seagulls’ asset this time.

The Japanese winger has 10 goal involvements in 28 Premier League outings this season (Image credit: Alamy)

Brighton intend to stick their claws in this time, with the same report revealing the club are closing in on a new contract for the winger.

The proposed offer is thought to extend his time at the AMEX Stadium until 2030, which would take Mitoma to his 33rd birthday, and would therefore likely be his last big contract.

The 27-year-old is undoubtedly one of the club’s most sought-after players, but Brighton were persistent in rejecting strong advances from Saudi in January.

After being forced to sell the likes of Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Ben White in recent years, managing to keep hold of one of their best players would be a watershed moment.

Moises Caicedo was just one of the top-class players Brighton had to sell in recent years – their Mitoma persistence suggests they want a change (Image credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images for Premier League)

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, even with Brighton’s ascendancy, holding on to Mitoma amid some of the clubs reportedly advancing will be a tough task.

With the mentioned sides, Mitoma could compete for some of Europe’s top prizes. But, he may not necessarily be one of the main men as he is with Brighton. If they can land European football, it’ll strengthen their position no end.

But if the Seagulls want to break into the Premier League’s top set, one day, they will need to be able to hold on to the bulk of their best players consistently. Could Mitoma be the landmark case?

Mitoma is worth €45m, as per Transfermarkt. Brighton take on Manchester City this weekend when Premier League action returns.