Brighton IDENTIFY 'next Kante' as Caicedo replacement

Cameron Smith

11 Aug 2023 07:32 CDT
4 min read

Brighton & Hove Albion are targeting Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath as their Moises Caicedo replacement as the Ecuadorian’s future continues to hit the headlines.

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Caicedo, 21, has been the subject of a British record transfer bid from Liverpool - worth €127 million (£110m) - which has been accepted by Brighton, but the player himself does not want to move to Anfield.

The midfielder wants to join Chelsea instead, but the Seagulls are reluctant to sell yet another one of their stars to Stamford Bridge, as exclusively reported by FootballTransfers.

MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

In 2022, Brighton lost left-back Marc Cucurella, head of recruitment Paul Winstanley, head coach Graham Potter, assistant coach Bruno Saltor and several other members of backroom staff to Chelsea.

The Seagulls have already dealt with Liverpool this window, with Alexis Mac Allister leaving the AMEX Stadium to join Jurgen Klopp’s team.

However, with the Caicedo saga rumbling on, Brighton have now identified Gourna-Douath as his ideal replacement, according to The Sun.

MORE: Caicedo to Chelsea STILL ON as Blues identify SECRET WEAPON to hijack Liverpool deal

The south coast side have been linked with a sensational move for Leeds United’s Tyler Adams - who is on the verge of joining Chelsea - while Lesley Ugochukwu was also reportedly a target before he left Stade Rennais to sign for Chelsea.

Furthermore, Gourna-Douath was also a Chelsea target back in 2021, during his time at St Etienne, but the Blues never followed up on interest and he joined RB Salzburg for €13m last summer.

The 20-year-old made 35 appearances for the Austrian side last season and played against Chelsea in the Champions League group stages.

’The next N’Golo Kante?’

The Frenchman has been compared to both Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante due to the region of France he grew up in - similar to Pogba - and his footballing play style - similar to Kante.

© ProShots - Lucas Gourna-Douath has been compared to Chelsea legend N'Golo Kante

Furthermore, Gourna-Douath fuelled those comparisons to a greater extent when he told the Salzburg website upon joining: “I like N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, as they are also French and play in my kind of position.

“I try to have various idols, no matter if they play in my position or not. I like players who can be depended on to lead a team, like Vincent Kompany, Patrick Vieira or Claude Makelele, for instance.”