Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that Brighton are likely to lose Moises Caicedo or Alexis Mac Allister this summer.
The Seagulls secured a monumental 3-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday to put them on the brink of securing a European place next season. Julio Enciso, Denis Undav and Pervis Estupinan struck for Brighton as they moved into sixth, a point ahead of Aston Villa and Tottenham with two games in hand.
However, despite the Seagulls' impressive campaign, they could lose a number of their key players at the end of the season. Caicedo, who was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in January, could be on his way out, while Mac Allister is another that might depart the Amex Stadium.
Speaking after his side's win at Arsenal, De Zerbi conceded the Seagulls may sell some players in the summer transfer window. He told Sky Sports: "For sure, we will lose some players, maybe Caicedo or Mac Allister. We have to be ready to bring in other good players.
Caicedo has been a brilliant addition to the Brighton squad since his move from Independiente del Valle in 2021. The Ecuador international was a regular in the side at the back end of last season, before cementing his place under De Zerbi and becoming one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football.
Arsenal could come back in for Caicedo as Mikel Arteta tries to strengthen his ranks, while Declan Rice has been touted as a potential signing for the Gunners. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have also been linked with a switch for 21-year-old Caicedo in the summer.
As for Mac Allister, he has had a tremendous campaign, scoring 10 Premier League goals and chipping in with a couple of assists as Brighton march towards Europe. Liverpool are the reported frontrunners for his signature, while Arsenal and Chelsea continue to be linked.
It isn't just Caicedo and Mac Alliser from Brighton that have been tipped to leave the club. Evan Ferguson, Pervis Estupinan and Kauro Mitoma are amongst the others to be linked with a move away. Brighton cannot afford to lose too many players, however, given they may have more fixtures to play next season.
On those, De Zerbi said: "For the others, like Mitoma and Estupinan, the best solution is to stay here. I don't know if they are ready to play in the big teams yet. We can offer them the possibility to progress and improve."
After the win over Arsenal, De Zerbi added: "Very delighted for the performance but I am really happy, really proud because the last five days were very difficult after the defeat on Monday.
"It was a very difficult moment. Today we showed our passion, we showed we are serious people. My players showed they are great people and then we can speak about football, our style, our quality of the players but first of all we won the game because we suffer a lot after the defeat.
"We have 58 points, not enough to qualify for Europe League. We have another four games, tough games. We have to fight because 58 aren’t enough to play (in Europe) next year."
