Brighton prioritise ‘new Paul Pogba’ as Moises Caicedo transfer replacement amid Chelsea and Liverpool bidding war

BRIGHTON are targeting Red Bull Salzburg star Lucas Gourna-Douath as Moises Caicedo’s replacement.

Caicedo looks set to leave the Amex Stadium with Liverpool and Chelsea battling for his signature.

Liverpool reached a British record £111million deal with the Seagulls for the midfielder.

However, the Blues are set to raise their own £100m offer with the Ecuador international understood to prefer a move to the London club.

SunSport understand Roberto De Zerbi’s men are resigned to losing the 21-year-old this summer.

That is why they are now prioritising Gourna-Douath as Caicedo‘s successor in midfield.

The France Under-19 international joined Salzburg in 2022 from Saint-Etienne.

The versatile midfielder arrived after a €15million (£13m) deal, which makes him his club’s record signing.

The 20-year-old has since amassed a total of 35 appearances across all competitions.

He registered 33 appearances last season for Gerhard Struber’s side and won the Austrian Bundesliga.

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Gourna-Douath has been previously dubbed the “new Paul Pogba” mainly thanks to his talent and shared history with the former Manchester United star.

The Frenchman spent part of his youth training with Torcy, the same Parisian outfit that Pogba played for before entering more elite academies.

Gourna-Douath was previously linked with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and RB Leipzig.