Napoli remains determined to finalize the transfer of Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour. After an initial £8m bid was rejected last month, the Serie A club has increased their offer to around £15m plus add-ons. Despite this, Brighton is not pressured to sell as Gilmour still has two years left on his contract.
Gilmour is reportedly open to the move and has previously worked with Napoli manager Antonio Conte during his time at Chelsea, before his £6m transfer to Brighton in 2022.
Brighton is keen to retain Gilmour, who appeared as a second-half substitute in their 3-0 opening day win against Everton. The club has strengthened their midfield with the £25m signing of Mats Wieffer from Feyenoord, and they are also pursuing Matt O’Riley from Celtic. Additionally, Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez is expected to join from Inter Miami for around £12m.
Brighton has a long-standing interest in O’Riley, who scored 19 goals and provided 18 assists in 49 matches for Celtic last season. Valued around £20m, O’Riley is contracted at Parkhead until 2027.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that while discussions continue over Romelu Lukaku’s move from Chelsea, Napoli is also working to secure Brighton’s approval for Gilmour. If Brighton completes the deal for O’Riley, Napoli will be ready to proceed with their pursuit of Gilmour.
Following Brighton’s win at Goodison Park, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler stated, “Billy Gilmour knows how I see him and my plans for him. He understands what he has here, with his teammates, and I think he feels comfortable. He can develop here, and he has already made significant progress. We will see what happens, but I’m really pleased he’s back on the pitch.”
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