Brighton and Hove Albion’s name may be being used in an attempt to make Al-Nassr pay more for Roger Fernandes.
That’s implied by O Jogo, who report that the Saudi Arabian side want the 19-year-old but need to pay his €40m release clause, or close to it.
The newspaper explains that Roger Fernandes is a hot name in the transfer window and alongside interest from England, where Brighton have been named as suitors for a while and were brought back into the picture yesterday, Al-Nassr are also in the race.
According to O Jogo’s information, they’ve shown a willingness to pay close to Fernandes’ €40m release clause to sign him this summer.
Their interest comes from manager Jorge Jesus, who has approved the move to fill the vacancy in the squad reserved for an U22 player. He’s been following the youngster for some time.
Braga don’t want to give up the youngster on the cheap and have continued to point to the release clause when asked about a valuation.
The feeling is that Al-Nassr will pay that, or at least close to it, but the fact that Brighton were brought back into the picture yesterday is seen as a curious coincidence by O Jogo.
The obvious suggestion is that the Seagulls are being used to drive up the price and force Al-Nassr to pay the release clause. Indeed, Tuesday’s Brighton claim came from Italy where the only connection to anyone involved is the player’s agent.
