Late in the last summer transfer window, Brighton & Hove Albion reached an agreement with Legia Warsaw for Michał Karbownik’s transfer.
The Seagulls immediately loaned the 20-year-old to Legia Warsaw before recalling him at the start of this year.
Prior to joining Graham Potter’s side, other clubs also showed interest and the list includes Barcelona, Napoli, PSV Eindhoven and Red Bull Salzburg.
Even Manchester City held talks, but in the end, they decided not to make an approach for the Poland international.
“If not for the pandemic, Karbownik would’ve been record transfer [sale]. The choices were huge: Red Bull Salzburg, Napoli, PSV Eindhoven. Each of them gave over €5m, which is what Brighton paid for Michał,” Karbownik’s agent Mariusz Piekarski told Po Gwizdku, as relayed by Interia Sport.
“But then there was a decline in Legia’s form, which began to look much weaker than in the fall. The team form went down and the players form went down. And in such conditions, it is much more difficult to promote a player.”
“If, however, Legia sold Karbownik in the winter, it would earn more and receive a greater percentage than the next sale.”
Brighton, however, decided to bet on the Poland international and went ahead and secure his services. The Premier League side offered him a contract until 2024.
Karbownik is currently at The Amex, but his representative suggests his client could have been at the Camp Nou, if not for the pandemic. Piekarski revealed Eric Abidal’s successor at Barcelona, Ramón Planes, was an admirer of the Brighton player.
“We could do this transfer. Ramon Planes became the club’s sports director, replacing Eric Abidal. And Planes appreciated Karbownik very much,” the agent explained.
“But problems started: first with the coronavirus, then with Barcelona’s financial situation. Even then, they told us they were in trouble. At the beginning of the talks, €10m was not a big problem, and a month later it was already huge.”
