Brighton make contact to sign Brazilian midfielder – De Zerbi could be key for deal

Brighton & Hove Albion are interested in Brazilian midfielder Maycon, according to claims from South America.

UOL feature a story which is mainly about Corinthians making a first approach to sign him permanently from Shakhtar Donetsk, as the Timão only have him on loan until December.

The problem is that a couple of European sides are keen on signing him as well. Those are Brighton and Porto, with both clubs having ‘asked about the midfielder’s situation’.

As pointed out by UOL, the Seagulls may have a little advantage in the race, which is the presence of manager Roberto de Zerbi. That’s because they worked together at Shakhtar Donetsk.

The outlet writes that the Ukrainian side want to sell Maycon for between €8m and €10m. Since the player has no wish of returning to his parent club, a transfer is the most likely scenario.

Given Corinthians have no buying option in that loan, that puts them on equal conditions as Brighton and Porto. And despite the potential reunion with De Zerbi at the Seagulls, it isn’t said by UOL if any of those clubs are willing to bid more than the others to win this auction.