Brighton and Hove Albion may face a fight to keep manager Roberto de Zerbi in the summer, with AS Roma and Tottenham among the clubs thinking of moving for him.
That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who say the Brighton boss is in vogue as clubs plan their managerial appointments for next season.
The newspaper explains that with Antonio Conte seemingly on his way out of Tottenham, Spurs are looking around and De Zerbi’s name is one that ‘teases’ director of football Fabio Paratici a lot.
He is ‘probing various leads’, including bringing back Mauricio Pochettino, but could face competition from Roma for De Zerbi’s signature.
The Giallorossi club have long been keen on the Brighton boss and ‘launched a channel of preference’ for the Italian coach a long time ago.
They also know that he would be keen on a return to Italy at some point despite the fact he is currently shining in the Premier League.
Getting him out of Brighton would not be a cheap exercise as his current contract includes a termination clause set at €10m, say Gazzetta. That figure, though, can rise based on various factors including results and performances across the season.
With Brighton in a race for Europe and in the latter stages of the FA Cup, the price of that buy-out is only rising as the season progresses.
His bond with the Seagulls is ‘strong, not indissoluble’, though, and the right ‘convincing arguments’ could tempt him to leave the Brighton project for something else.
It is that aspect, rather than the salary, which is important to the Italian coach. It is why he chose to go to Shakhtar and compete in the Champions League in the past.
Roma could make those arguments, although the ‘fiery competitive climate’ at the club would be the complete opposite to the ‘tranquility of Sussex’.
Either way, the interest in him is there from several corners and the belief is that a big offer will arrive for the Brighton manager ‘sooner rather than later.’
