Brighton & Hove Albion will reportedly demand a British-record fee for star striker Evan Ferguson amid interest from several clubs including Tottenham Hotspur.
The 19-year-old has developed into one of the Premier League's brightest prospects since establishing himself as a first-team regular under head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
Ferguson has scored 15 goals in 43 games for Brighton across all competitions, including 10 strikes in 25 appearances last season as the Seagulls finished sixth in the Premier League and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history.
In 2023, Ferguson has chipped in with 10 goals to date, becoming the first teenager since Wayne Rooney back in 2005 to reach double figures for Premier League goals in a calendar year.
The Republic of Ireland international, who has also scored three times in eight appearances for his country, recently signed a new long-term contract at Brighton that runs until the summer of 2029.
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However, that has not stopped the rumour mill linking the highly-rated striker with a big-money exit from the Seagulls heading into 2024.
According to talkSPORT, Tottenham have identified Ferguson as a long-term replacement for Harry Kane, who ended his 19-year association with the North Londoners to join Bayern Munich in the summer.
The report adds that Manchester United and Chelsea are also potential suitors for the Irishman, while Manchester City are not currently considering a move for the striker.
However, Brighton are under no pressure to sell Ferguson, who does not have a release clause in his new contract, and it will allegedly take a bid in excess of £100m to tempt the Seagulls to cash in on the teenager.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom is of the belief that Ferguson is worth more than midfielder Moises Caicedo, who was sold by the Seagulls to Chelsea for a British-record £115m in the summer.
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Since the departure of Kane from Tottenham, new head coach Ange Postecoglou has used Richarlison and Son Heung-min as a central striker, with the latter having more joy in front of goal so far this season.
Indeed, Son has scored eight goals in 12 Premier League appearances in 2023-24, while Richarlison – who recently underwent groin surgery – has scored just once in 11 top-flight games this term and was moved out to the left flank before sustaining his injury.
Man United, meanwhile, have struggled to score goals so far this season, netting just 13 times in 12 Premier League games with only six teams scoring fewer, and there has been speculation that the Red Devils will look to recruit a new attacker in January to provide competition for the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and Antony.
As for Chelsea, they have also been tipped to move for a new centre-forward in 2024, with Ferguson believed to be one of several names on their shortlist along with Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
Oliver Thomas
