There could soon be one incoming and one outgoing at Brighton & Hove Albion. The Athletic’s Andy Naylor reports that Graham Potter’s side at interested in signing RB Salzburg midfielder Enock Mwepu, while Sky Sports say that Mat Ryan is set to leave the club after Brighton agreed a fee with Spanish side Real Sociedad.
Enock Mwepu Targetted at Brighton, Mat Ryan Set for Departure
Interest in Salzburg Midfielder
Salzburg have already sent one of their key players to the Premier League after Leicester City completed the capture of Patson Daka last week. Now, Brighton are trying to sign Daka’s friend and Zambia international teammate Mwepu in a deal that could cost around £20 million.
At 23, Mwepu is at a good age for Salzburg to command a fee, and with three years left to run on his current contract with the Austrian side, they are in a strong negotiating position.
It’s not known yet whether Mwepu’s signing is as a potential replacement for Yves Bissouma. While there has been plenty of interest in the Mali international, the Seagulls are yet to receive any concrete offers.
If he were to leave, though, Brighton would have an excellent replacement in Mwepu, and already signed Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle in January to cover the position long-term.
Mwepu would bring Champions League experience with him having played in the group stages of last season’s competition for Salzburg. His debut in the competition came in the previous season during a 4-3 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool.
Ryan Set for Departure
Brighton may soon need to be looking at the goalkeeper department, though, with Mat Ryan set to return to Spain and join Real Sociedad for an undisclosed fee.
The Australian keeper arrived at Brighton upon their promotion to the Premier League in 2017 from La Liga side Valencia and has been their first-choice keeper for almost all of his time on the South Coast.
However, he was dropped from the side midway through the 2020/21 season, thus joining Arsenal on loan for the rest of the campaign, which allowed Robert Sanchez to step in and take the number one spot for Brighton.
Sky’s report suggests that Arsenal were keen to bring Ryan back on a permanent deal and that there was interest from Celtic as well as clubs in France, but Ryan was keen to be the first choice stopper at his next club, meaning Sociedad was the chosen option.
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