Brighton are closing in on their top summer target and are close to agreeing a £25million club-record move for Bristol City’s Adam Webster. The Seagulls are offering £20m up front for the centre-back with the rest of the cash coming in add-ons. The move is not yet done but it is nearing completion, with a deal between the clubs expected to be struck in the coming days.
Should Brighton pay all the fee it would be a Championship record, eclipsing the £24m Leicester agreed to pay Norwich for James Maddison last summer. City initially put a £30m price-tag on Webster after Aston Villa had a £12m bid rejected last month. The 24-year-old only moved to Ashton Gate from Ipswich for £8m last year and he made 47 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals, as the Robins finished eighth in the Championship.
Robins boss Lee Johnson has been linked with a move for Newcastle’s Ciaran Clark as a replacement, while Webster joining Brighton could free up Lewis Dunk to leave. The defender has been linked with Leicester but it is understood there had been no contact between the clubs earlier this month.
Webster will join Leandro Trossard, who signed from Genk last month, as one of Graham Potter’s major deals since he joined from Swansea. Brighton’s current record signing is Alireza Jahanbakhsh after he joined from AZ for around £17m last summer.
