Brighton transfer news: '£30m-plus-player bid' submitted for Man United, Arsenal-linked starlet

Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly pursuing a deal to sign Olympiacos attacker Charalampos Kostoulas.

The 17-year-old has established himself as one of the biggest young talents in Europe since breaking into the senior team of the Greek champions, having previously excelled at academy level.

Kostoulas made his professional debut at the age of just 15 for the Olympiacos B team in the Greek second division in January 2023, surpassing Kyriakos Papadopoulos to become the youngest player in the club's history.

The versatile attacker, who can play as a central striker, out wide or in an advanced midfield role, helped Olympiacos win the UEFA Youth League - the youth version of the Champions League - last season with five goals in eight games, and he has since featured regularly in the senior side.

Kostoulas has chipped in with six goals and two assists in 29 appearances across the Greek Super League and Europa League this season, and his performances are understood to have caught the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs.

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Olympiacos set to reject player-plus-cash Brighton offer for Kostoulas

Manchester United allegedly sent scouts to watch Kostoulas towards the end of last year and have since made contact over a potential deal to sign the Greek Under-21 international.

It is understood that Arsenal formally expressed their interest in Kostoulas earlier this year, while a possible move to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus or AC Milan has also been mooted.

Brighton now appear to have joined the race for his signature and The Athletic claims that Fabian Hurzeler's side have offered a fee of around £30m plus Abdallah Sima.

However, the report adds that Olympiacos are reluctant to lose the teenager and are expected to turn down the offer, while they would also want a sell-on included in any deal.

The Seagulls could therefore be required to break their transfer record to sign Kostoulas and spend in excess of the £40m they forked out on Georginio Rutter last summer.

Twenty-three-year-old forward Sima is yet to make a senior appearance for Brighton and is currently on loan at French outfit Brest having previously spent temporary spells at Rangers, Angers and Stoke City since joining the Seagulls from Slavia Prague in 2021.

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Brighton continue to plan for the future

Brighton's interest in Kostoulas comes at a time when star forward Joao Pedro is attracting interest from Premier League trio Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

The Seagulls have been planning for the future for some time and have already agreed deals to sign two teenage wingers in the form of South Korean starlet Yoon Do-young and Sunderland's Tommy Watson.

Hurzeler is also looking forward to working with 20-year-old striker Stefanos Tzimas, who officially joined Brighton in January for a reported £20m before being loaned back to German side Nuremberg for the rest of this season.

Meanwhile, Brighton are also understood to be pursuing a deal for 22-year-old Brazilian wideman Cuiabano from Botafogo, who have already turned down two offers from the Seagulls.

Written by
Oliver Thomas