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Pervis Estupiñán left Villarreal for Brighton & Hove Albion last summer and has enjoyed his debut season at The Amex with one goal and eight assists from 41 games

His fine form for the Seagulls have resulted in reports linking him with a move to Barcelona.

The Brighton player gave an interview to Ecuador TV, relayed by Olé, where he was directly asked if he has received an interest from Barcelona. Responding to that, the left-back admitted these links motivates him.

“At the time when I was at Villarreal there was an interest.  Now we are on a few days of vacation, both the players, the managers, the agents…  And I haven’t had a meeting that’s happening since the season ended,” he said.

“I have a contract with Brighton until 2027. That teams of that level are interested is a motivation to continue working.”

The Ecuador international has also opened the door to return to La Liga in the future.

“Yes, I would like to return to Spain, why not? La Liga is very beautiful, in addition to the good weather it has, ha. I’m going to continue doing my job and the rest will come by itself,” Estupiñán explained.

He came up through the ranks of Ecuadorian side LDU Quito. The 25-year-old first arrived in Europe when Watford signed him from LDU in 2016. He was out on loan during his time with the Hornets and left without making an appearance for them.

The Brighton defender has talked about his desire to return to LDU at some stage in his career.

“I hope to return… I don’t know if Liga [LDU] wants me when I want to return. It was the team that gave me the opportunity to show myself,” the fullback added.

“Every time I come to Ecuador, I go to the stadium to see it, I also go to the complex to greet all the workers and those who helped me at the time. There is still a long way to go, but I would like to return to Liga de Quito: it was and continues to be my home. So, I hope they love me when I return.”