Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that Brighton & Hove Albion could lose key players such as Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister this summer.
The midfield duo have been strongly linked with a big-money departure from the Amex Stadium having excelled as two of Brighton's standout performers this season.
Caicedo was the subject of two failed bids from Arsenal during the January transfer window before penning a new long-term contract in February until the summer of 2027.
The likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are also believed to be keeping tabs on the Ecuadorian's progress, along with that of World Cup winner Mac Allister, who is Brighton's top scorer this season with 12 goals in 36 games across all competitions.
Indeed, Mac Allister's agent and father recently admitted that the 24-year-old midfielder is likely to leave Brighton this summer, with Liverpool in particular believed to have stepped up their interest in the Argentina international.
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Both Caicedo and Mac Allister played the full 90 minutes for Brighton in Sunday's exceptional 3-0 triumph away against Arsenal in the Premier League, a result that has boosted the Seagulls' hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Goals from Julio Ensico, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan helped the Seagulls secure a statement victory over a distinctly second-best Gunners outfit, and De Zerbi's side now sit sixth in the top-flight table, one point clear of both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in seventh and eighth respectively with two games in hand.
De Zerbi is keen to see his Brighton side develop into a 'big team', but he has admitted that a number of key players, including Caicedo and Mac Allister, may not continue with the club next season.
Speaking to Sky Sports after beating Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, De Zerbi said: "I'm pleased for the performance. It was a tough game and today was more difficult because on Monday we lost an incredible game.
"I'm really proud that my players showed our style and we showed character. Without this part of football, you can play well and score goals but without patience and mentality you won't reach your targets.
"We are working to become a big team. We are not a big team yet but if you want to compete with a big team like Arsenal and qualify for Europe, we have to progress our mentality.
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"The players are the most important thing. I'm lucky to have players at this level. I'm working to give them my ideas and mentality but without good players you can't achieve these results."
De Zerbi added: "We will lose some players, maybe Caicedo or maybe Mac Allister. We need to bring in some other good players.
"For [Kaoru] Mitoma and [Pervis] Estupinan, they need to stay with us. I don't know if they are ready to play with big teams. You have to be ready in the head and we can offer them the chance to improve."
Brighton allegedly value Caicedo and Mac Allister at £70m each, and the sale of either player for such a price would see them recoup a club-record fee – surpassing the £62m generated from the sale of Marc Cucurella to Chelsea last summer.
While Caicedo's new deal still has over four years left to run, Mac Allister's contract expires in June 2025, with Brighton possessing the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Brighton are reportedly closing in on the signing of 37-year-old James Milner, who will see his Liverpool contract expire at the end of the season, while the Seagulls are also said to be lining up a summer bid for Hoffenheim midfielder Christoph Baumgartner.
Oliver Thomas
