Man Utd and Chelsea make loan offers for Evan Ferguson

Steve Kay

• Updated: 15 Jan 2024 19:38 GMT
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Manchester United and Chelsea both tried to make audacious loan bids for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson this month, sources have told FootballTransfers.

Man Utd are in the market for a new forward, with reports indicating that they are seeking a player of a Harry Kane-level. Ferguson appears out of their price bracket this month, hence the Old Trafford side made a bid for a temporary deal.

Similarly, Chelsea enquired about the possibility of a January loan that would run until the summer, at which point they would focus on signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli.

Ferguson has struggled for first-team football this season at Brighton under Roberto De Zerbi, featuring only 11 times from the outset of Premier League matches this season, despite scoring six goals, and it had been hoped that the Seagulls might be willing to release him.

These hopes, though, were unsurprisingly dashed by Brighton owner Tony Bloom, who will insist on a straight sale if the 19-year-old Republic of Ireland international does ultimately leave the club.

Summer move on the cards?

Even if these offers have been knocked back, Ferguson remains a possibility for both Man Utd and Chelsea ahead of the summer transfer window.

Man Utd seem to hold the edge for the player, with Chelsea apparently seeing Osimhen as their leading summer target – and the Nigeria international apparently open to moving to Stamford Bridge, despite the club’s recent struggles.

Brighton, meanwhile, remain in full control of the situation, with Ferguson under contract with the AmEx outfit until 2029.

He boasts an Estimated Transfer Value of €28.4 million, but this has been on a rapid rise over the course of the last year.

Brighton have also shown they are experts at extracting maximum value for their wanted players, having sold Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Ben White and Alexis Mac Allister among others to Premier League big guns for sizeable transfer fees.

Ferguson is simply next in line, with Man Utd and Chelsea both waiting.