Brighton are plotting a move for Liverpool stalwart James Milner after agreeing their first summer transfer.
The Seagulls are set to complete the signing of Joao Pedro from Watford in a deal worth around £30million. The Brazilian has already completed his medical and is set to pen a long-term contract at the AMEX Stadium, according to reports.
The 21-year-old has been the Hornets' standout player in the Championship this season, scoring 11 times in 35 appearances as Watford struggled to keep themselves in contention for promotion back to the Premier League. He had been close to joining Newcastle last summer, but the Hertfordshire side decided to keep their prized asset.
Now, the Seagulls have turned their attentions to strengthening their midfield department. As per The Athletic, Brighton are amongst the clubs interested in Milner, alongside newly-promoted Burnley.
Liverpool have given no indication that they will offer Milner a new deal, despite Jurgen Klopp's hopes to keep him for at least another year. The 37-year-old has been at the Reds since 2015 and played a key role in their Champions League success in 2018/19 and Premier League title win a year later.
Milner would give Brighton experience in midfield, with De Zerbi's squad currently one of the youngest squads in the division. It would also see Milner reunite with ex-Liverpool man Adam Lallana on the South Coast.
The pair were teammates at Anfield for five years and Brighton are plotting their summer moves as they face fights to keep hold of in-demand stars Alexis Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma and Moises Caicedo.
Klopp remained tight-lipped when asked about Milner's future last week.
"No," Klopp replied sharply when asked if there was any update on Milner's future before Liverpool's game against Nottingham Forest. "Until we have something to say, I'd have thought (that is when there will be an update). Whenever that will be."
Meanwhile, De Zerbi was asked about a potential move for Pedro in his pre-Wolves press conference on Friday. He said: "Joao Pedro is a big, big player but I don’t know if it's close or not He's a great player. I think we are a very good team. We can improve but it's not the right moment to speak too much about the transfer market."
Pedro was also left out of the Watford squad to face Sunderland in a key match in the race for the Championship play-offs on Saturday.
Watford boss Chris Wilder added: "It has been a strange week for João, with plenty going on, so we felt it was right to leave him behind this week. There's no injury involved. He's a great lad and, as for next weekend, let's see what happens."
Brighton could be an enticing proposition given their current Premier League form right now. The Seagulls thumped Wolves 6-0 on Saturday thanks to a brace each from Danny Welbeck, Deniz Undav and Pascal Gross.
It was a result that moved the Seagulls to within two points of fifth-place Tottenham and De Zerbi's side also have two games in hand on Spurs in the race for a European spot.
