Brighton are interested in Liverpool Montevideo midfielder Fabricio Diaz.
According to Uruguayan outlet El Observador, he is valued at €8 million and is also wanted by Barcelona and Braga.
Diaz himself said: “It’s true that there is interest from the English club, but it’s not yet concrete.”
Pablo Boselli, the player’s agent, is said to be ‘working intensely’ with Jose Luis Palma, the club’s president, to try and get the deal done.
The midfielder was absent from his side’s draw with Nacional on Sunday, although that is said to be through an injury.
Who is Fabricio Diaz and should Brighton sign him?
Diaz is a 20-year-old defensive midfielder and has represented Uruguay at U20 level. He’s come through the youth system at Montevideo, and made his debut for the club’s first team back in 2020. Since then he has become a regular, making 121 appearances.
He is as complete as a midfielder can be, but likes to operate in a holding role. He is very good defensively, has great stamina and is excellent at distributing the ball.
Brighton are in need of a defensive midfielder after the departure of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £115m million. Brighton do have a number of central midfield options, like James Milner, Mahmoud Dahoud, Billy Gilmour and Pascal Groß. However, none of them can play the defensive midfield role too well. Milner could do a job there however, as he has played in more defensive roles in his career, predominantly left back for his previous club Liverpool.
The Seagulls have been looking at a replacement for the Ecuadorian, with a bid being submitted for Carlos Baleba of Lille last week.
However, with Brighton facing heavy competition from other Premier League clubs for Baleba, it appears they may have moved on to other targets, in the form of Diaz. This is certainly one to keep an eye on.