Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar could be set to raid Brighton once again this summer in an effort to sign in-form star Kaoru Mitoma. The Gunners have a history of poaching star players from the Seagulls as shown by the signings of Ben White and Leandro Trossard.
White was signed in 2021 after completing a £50million move to the Emirates Stadium, whilst Trossard only joined in the recent January transfer window in a £27million deal. The Gunners will look to bolster Mikel Arteta's squad once again in the summer transfer window ahead of next season as they aim to continue their upwards trajectory in terms of development in the hopes of achieving success and winning trophies.
Mitoma has been one of the surprise performers in the Premier League this season and has attracted interest from some top sides across Europe. The Japanese forward has scored eight goals and provided a further six assists in 26 appearances across all competitions in the 2022/23 campaign so far.
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The 25-year-old's contract at Brighton is not set to expire until 2025 meaning the club could demand a huge fee for their star forward this summer. According to GOAL, the Seagulls want to offer Mitoma a club-record new deal to stay with Roberto De Zerbi's side and snub interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The Gunners failed in their attempt to lure Moises Caicedo away from Brighton after poaching Trossard in the January transfer window. The Seagulls rejected two bids from Arsenal, whilst also rejecting a verbal offer of £55million from Chelsea for the Ecuadorian midfielder.
Caicedo has since signed a new long-term deal at Brighton but he is still expected to be the centre of a bidding war this summer. Alexis Mac Allister could also leave the club ahead of next season, whilst Mitoma is now the latest player in De Zerbi's team to be linked with a move away from the south coast.
Brighton are known for demanding huge fees to let their star players leave, shown by White's departure to Arsenal and Marc Cucurella's move to Chelsea last summer. If Edu is to raid the Seagulls once again, it would take a massive figure for them to consider allowing Mitoma to leave and complete a move to north London.
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