Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast, journalist Duncan Castles has claimed that Brighton are now quite confident of signing Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard.
The French striker has been linked with moves to numerous Premier League outfits in recent years, and it was often thought that he’d end up at one of the top-end English clubs with the likes of Arsenal and Leicester strongly linked.
However, it now looks as though Brighton are leading the race for his signature and Castles believes that the Seagulls are confident about signing him.
What’s been said?
Castles gave an update on Brighton’s pursuit of a new striker.
“They have been targeting a centre-forward for obvious reasons, they created a lot of chances last season and did not convert as high a percentage as would have been expected. Edouard is available, he wants to leave Celtic, and Celtic want to get money for him before his contract expires next summer,” Castles said.
“My understanding is that they’ve made an offer of £18m initially, with a further £3.5m of performance-related variables, and there would also be a sell-on clause with the deal, a variable sell-on clause where the percentage of the fee going to Celtic changes depending on the amount Brighton are paid by any future club. I’m hearing they’re quite confident they can get this deal done now, which contrasts where they were earlier in the summer.”
The answer to Brighton’s prayers
As Castles says, Brighton need a new striker and Edouard could be exactly what they need.
The Frenchman is a clinical finisher, not only shown by his brilliant record at Celtic, but also by his impeccable record for France’s U21s.
Brighton are fantastic at creating chances, but their failure to convert cost them time and time again last season, but with Edouard in the squad, you can’t help but feel that they’d score bags of goals next season.
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