Napoli have not given up their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour. Gli Azzurri bid £8m for the Scottish international last week. The Seagulls rejected the bid quickly and reportedly were not willing to sell Gilmour unless a much bigger offer came in for him.
Napoli need to sell before they buy Billy Gilmour
According to top Italian transfer journalist Gianluca di Marzio, Napoli is ready to test Brighton’s resolve. Reportedly, Gilmour is one of Antonio Conte’s top transfer targets. The club are working hard to get the deal done before the start of the season.
Before Napoli can sign Gilmour, Gli Azzurri will need to get rid of some of their current players. Napoli are looking to sell Swedish international Jens Cajuste and academy graduate Gianluca Gaetano to raise funds so they can sign Gilmour and their other main transfer target, Frosinone’s Marco Brescianini.
Brighton are dousing the Billy Gilmour transfer rumors
Early reports claimed that it would take just £12m to get the Scotsman. However, Brighton CEO Paul Barber threw cold water on those transfer rumors earlier this week.
The former Tottenham director told talkSPORT “Billy has been an important player for us and we’re very keen to keep Billy. He’s a fantastic footballer and a great character around this squad.”
Brighton can’t afford to lose another top midfielder
For Brighton’s sake, let’s hope that Barber and club Chairman Tony Bloom hold firm and keep Gilmour around. While he has not hit the peaks he has for Scotland with Brighton, Gilmour has been a very reliable player for the Seagulls.
With Pascal Gross reportedly leaving the club this summer, Brighton will be left with very few midfielders with Premier League experience. It also would be a big risk to let such a talented player go without seeing what he can do under new manager Fabian Hürzeler.
Unless the player explicitly asks to leave the club this summer, I would not sell Billy Gilmour this summer.
