EXCLUSIVE: Fulham, Boro, Stoke head seven-club battle for Brighton defender
A host of Championship clubs are battling it out for Brighton defender Leo Skiri Ostigard, TEAMtalk can reveal.
The highly-rated Norwegian joined the Seagulls from Molde in 2018, but is yet to make the first-team breakthrough at the Amex.
Ostigard has since spent time on loan, firstly with St Pauli and then with Coventry in the Championship last season.
Now, Brighton have been inundated with offers for the 21-year-old as Graham Potter ponders the next step for the defender.
The Seagulls boss had been considering keeping him for the upcoming Premier League season.
However, we understand that Potter has now given the green-light for Ostigard to depart.
We can reveal that Coventry want him back, but there is plenty of other rival interest. We understand that Fulham, Stoke, Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Barnsley and Middlesbrough have also shown an interest.
Potter though will hope Ostigard picks wisely. Having seen the development of Ben White in the second tier, he will hope for similar success with Ostigard.
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Brighton keen on Nketiah deal
Brighton, meanwhile, are ready to push ahead with their plans to sign Eddie Nketiah this summer.
Nketiah’s potential is clear, but at the age of 22 he is yet to establish himself in the Premier League. He has 38 top-flight appearances to his name with Arsenal, from which he has scored five goals. It is a far cry from his form for the England U21s, for whom he scored 16 goals in 17 caps between 2018 and 2021.
With one year left on his contract, the striker looks likely to leave Arsenal this summer. However, he must choose his next destination carefully. A loan spell at Leeds United did not go to plan in the 2019-20 season, so he must find somewhere he will be guaranteed continuity.
As such, The Sun suggests the Seagulls are ready to pay £20m to secure his services. Potter’s side struggled for goals last season and the boss will hope the signing of Nketiah can go some way to addressing that issue.
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