Man Utd, Man City on red alert with Prem rivals ‘willing’ to sell superb winger for £70m this winter

Harry Watkinson 09 Oct 2023 11:54 AM

Man Utd, Man City linked Brighton winger Karou Mitoma

Brighton and Hove Albion ‘will consider offers’ for winger Karou Mitoma even if he puts pen to paper on a new contract, according to reports.

The Seagulls signed the 26-year-old for a bargain price of just £2.5m in 2021, and he has soon become one of their most important players.

Last season, Mitoma scored seven goals and made six assists in 33 Premier League appearances as he helped fire his team to a best-ever sixth-place finish in the table.

The Japan international has made an excellent start this term, too, netting three goals and laying on three assists in eight league matches so far.

He has also gained a reputation as one of the best dribblers in Europe. He has completed an impressive 47 progressive carries so far this season, the second-most of any player in the Premier League – trailing Dejan Kulusevski by three.

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, both Manchester United and Manchester City are very interested in signing Mitoma in January, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been mentioned as potential suitors in the last few months.

With that in mind, we could potentially see a bidding war take place for Mitoma this winter, and Brighton won’t let him leave on the cheap.

Brighton could sell Mitoma for £70m

According to Football Inisder, Brighton are willing to sell Mitoma for the right price even if he signs a contract extension at the Amex.

The report states that the Seagulls have refused to include a release clause in his potential new deal, but would consider offers in excess of £70m for the winger.

Mitoma is just another example of Brighton’s superb scouting – where they sign players for cheap fees and sell them on for huge profit, just as they did with Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Alexis Mac Allister, Ben White and others.

Mitoma is currently only under contract until June 2025. He earns a reported wage of £10,000-a-week but is expected to receive a handsome pay rise with any potential new deal.

Pascal Gross and Evan Ferguson are among the highest-profile Brighton stars to sign recent contract extensions for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, so the manager is clearly happy with those players, too.

It will be interesting to see if Man Utd or Man City do make a concrete offer for Mitoma in January. It seems that they will have to put at least £70m on the table to have any chance at a deal, though.

Karou Mitoma