It has been reported that Roberto De Zerbi believes Brighton & Hove Albion could sign Manchester City target Valentin Barco.
This comes from the Sun after it was claimed on Thursday that City had ‘reached an agreement’ to sign the 19-year-old.
But now, it seems like Brighton & Hove Albion are also in the mix to sign Manchester City-linked left-back Valentin Barco, and Roberto De Zerbi backs them to win the race for him.
Roberto De Zerbi thinks Brighton could sign Manchester City target Valentin Barco Branded as a ‘rare’ talent by Foot The Ball, the Argentine is regarded as one of the best young players in South America.
A natural left-back by trade, the teenager is also comfortable playing in midfield and as a winger, making him extremely tactically versatile.
Now, it has been revealed that Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is ‘optimistic’ that his side could sign Manchester City target Valentin Barco.
The Seagulls are said to believe that they could offer Barco the best possible platform to progress at the current stage of his career.
However, Boca Juniors aim to keep the highly-rated wonderkid and tie him down to a new contract that could see his release clause rise to £16 million.
No-brainer for Valentin Barco to sign for the treble-winners While some may pinpoint that Brighton and Roberto De Zerbi would be likelier to offer more regular starting opportunities to the gifted defender than Manchester City, that theory may prove to be a myth.
The currently 4th placed team in the Premier League have one of the best left-backs in the division on their books in Pervis Estupinan.
City, on the other hand lack a natural left-back at their disposal, which would give Barco an easier chance to make the position his own.
To add to that, the chance to sign for the treble-winners and work under Pep Guardiola should tempt Valentin Barco.
Ansu Fati make his Brighton debut this weekend! On-loan Barcelona star set for Premier League debut against Manchester United
Ansu Fati is set to make his first appearance in a Brighton shirt this weekend as the Seagulls travel to face Manchester United.
The 20-year-old joined the Premier League side on loan on deadline day in what was deemed one of the signings of the summer in the top flight.
Barcelona star Fati has left the Spanish champions to spend a campaign in England playing first-team football after being a regular substitute in La Liga.
And the highly-rated youngster, who inherited Lionel Messi’s iconic No.10 at Barca, could make his Brighton bow at Old Trafford.
Will Fati make his Brighton debut this weekend?
Fati is expected to make his Brighton debut on Saturday.
The Spaniard will likely play a part in the Seagulls’ game against United at Old Trafford which is exclusively live on talkSPORT 2.
Manager Roberto De Zerbi admitted that Fati would not feature in their game against Newcastle before the international break due to not yet training with the team.
It was the same for fellow deadline day signing Carlos Baleba but the boss also said that they will be a part of the squad for this weekend’s game.
“About the transfer market we are happy to close it in a good way,” De Zerbi said.
“We closed on two very important players in the last days and we are happy.
“[For Newcastle] it was not the best solution [for Fati and Baleba to play]. They have not yet started working with us.
“We have to give them the right time to be inside, to come inside to work. Then we will be there, next game.”
Both players will have been getting used to their surroundings over the international break and are set to play their first game for Brighton.
Fati’s stunning arrival on the South Coast has fans incredibly excited to see him get started in England.
And there is no better place to kick off your Premier League career than at Old Trafford against Man United.
Brighton vs West Ham: Five talking points & views
West Ham United secured their first Premier League away win of the new campaign against bogey team Brighton last weekend through goals from James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.
And in his new feature for KUMB, Chris Wilkerson picks out five key moments from the game…
Ward-Prowse plays it fast
Saying Ward-Prowse delivers brings the assumption of corners and freekicks, but it’s his quick delivery with the ball in midfield that is making a difference. Passing it quickly is helping Antonio get moving when there’s still space to exploit and launches counters suddenly. Summer talk was of him being too slow, but if the ball moves for you, it doesn’t matter.
Moyesball
2.0 – Ward-Prowse passing like that, Antonio’s revival and walls at the back that stop anyone pouring through, it’s like 2020/21 again. And it works for this team and this manager. It looks like it would work for Kudus, and there’s Lingard to consider, too.
The effects of depth
The ability to use the bench proactively is massive, and the manager must now feel truly confident when he turns and looks at the likes of Benrahma, Fornals, Kehrer, Fabianski, and now maybe Soucek. But it also forces the players to do more, gives them more to prove and stops them resting on their laurels. It leads to things like Benrahma coming on and setting up a goal, or Ings putting in that little bit extra that gets him back on the line to clear.
Beautiful and boring
Brighton can be a beautiful team to watch. Many find the attention they receive annoying, but no-one would be annoyed watching their team be able to use the ball so comfortably. But like any approach, it’s ugly when it fails, and West Ham made Brighton boring. As the manager said, they can take the ball home with them, if they like, we’ll take the three points.
Edson slots in
Álvarez not only slotted into the midfield comfortably and anchored wonderfully, it was also interesting to see him dropping into the back three when those ahead of him had possession. Rice had long left that kind of role behind, but Álvarez’s use there can open up the flanks for the full backs to fly forward with more freedom. Fantastic