Brighton & Hove Albion 'identify Calvin Bassey as Levi Colwill alternative'

Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly identified Ajax defender Calvin Bassey as a potential alternative to Chelsea's Levi Colwill.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has expressed his desire to keep hold of Colwill, who enjoyed a successful season-long loan spell with the Seagulls in 2022-23, featuring 20 times in all competitions including 13 Premier League starts.

However, newly-appointed Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to work with Colwill next season and integrate the 20-year-old into his first-team plans, while the Blues are also understood to have offered the defender a new contract.

Brighton have not given up hope in signing Colwill on a permanent basis and are allegedly prepared to break their transfer record to lure the England Under-21 international back to the American Express Community Stadium.

Nevertheless, The Athletic reports that the Seagulls could turn their attention to 23-year-old fellow left-footed defender Bassey should they fail in their pursuit of Colwill.

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Brighton were interested in signing Bassey last summer before he left Scottish side Rangers to join Ajax for around £18.7m.

The Nigeria international arrived at the Johan Cruyff Arena following the departure of Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United, and he quickly became a first-team regular for the Dutch giants.

Indeed, Bassey chipped in with one goal and five assists in 39 appearances for Ajax across all competitions, starting 20 times in the Eredivisie as well as starting all six Champions League group-stage matches.

It remains to be seen whether Ajax are willing to part ways with Bassey after just one season at the club, with the defender under contract until the summer of 2027.

Nevertheless, should Ajax agree to cash in on Bassey, Rangers would be due 10% of any profits after inserting a sell-on clause in the player's deal.

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Bassey primarily operated as a central defender for Ajax last season but he also featured at left-back, where he played numerous times at Rangers.

The Leicester City academy graduate's versatility is said to appeal to Brighton boss De Zerbi, who is interested in recruiting a left-sided defender to provide competition for the club's only senior left-back option Pervis Estupinan.

Brighton are yet to sign a defender this summer and have instead bolstered their options in other positions, with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen the club's most recent signing after being officially unveiled on Monday – joining from Anderlecht for a reported £17.2m.

The Seagulls broke their transfer record earlier this summer to sign forward Joao Pedro from Watford for around £30m, while midfield duo James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud have joined the club on free transfers.

Bassey is not the only Ajax player to have caught De Zerbi's eye, as Brighton have reportedly joined Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Ghanaian forward Mohammed Kudus.