After spending nearly €100m on players so far this window, Brighton may be ready to let go of one of their best midfielders from last season.
Napoli are reportedly working on a deal for Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour. Italian reporter Matteo Moretto revealed that Antontio Conte specifically identified the Scotsman as one his top transfer targets for this window.
The Italian manager spoke with Gilmour this week about a possible move. The 23-year-old is open to joining Napoli and personal terms are not going to be an issue. Whether Serie A club can afford to pay Brighton’s asking price is another story though.
The Seagulls have already rejected a £8m bid from Napoli for Gilmour, but they could be willing to let him go for around £12m.
Brighton signed Gilmour for £7.5m from Chelsea in 2022. The Scotsman has made over 50 appearances for the Seagulls so far.
Overall Gilmour has been a pretty solid midfielder for them, but he hasn’t yet reached the peak many people expected from him when he first broke through at Chelsea and for the Scottish national team.
The biggest difference between the Gilmour we see with Scotland and the one we see for Brighton is in possession. For the Scots, the 23-year-old dictates tempo and takes control of matches seemingly all by himself. For the Albion, Gilmour never is much more than a ball recycler.
With Pascal Groß expected to leave Brighton this summer, Gilmour should be one of Brighton’s starting midfielders. That increased responsibility could see him finally start to take the next step and start dominating matches for the Seagulls.
Keeping Gilmour is a bit of a risk, especially if Napoli submit a bigger bid this summer, but letting him go before seeing what he looks like in Fabian Hürzeler’s new Brighton would be a big mistake.
Unless the player asks to leave, Brighton should give Gilmour one more chance and not sell him this summer.
