Exclusive: Man Utd face Chelsea competition as Arsenal also muscle in on British-record striker deal

Evan Ferguson is a target for Chelsea and Arsenal

Arsenal and Chelsea will join Premier League rivals Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United in the race for Brighton star Evan Ferguson, TEAMtalk can reveal.

The Seagulls have been the leading example among Premier League clubs when it comes to finding the best young talent and selling on for profit with the sale of Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for a combined £170m the perfect example.

Now a third race by the Blues on Brighton could yet be on the cards with Mauricio Pochettino planning a daring raid for their latest emerging talent in Ferguson.

For any club to prise the Irish striker away from the Seagulls they will have to front up a huge fee – with sources stating Brighton value him at over £100million and could even hope to secure a fee in excess of the British-record £115m package paid for Caicedo.

The 19-year-old signed a new deal last week, a move that is commonly made by Brighton bosses when one of their stars is getting closer to a big move.

There is a lot of interest surrounding the frontman with Arsenal also watching and keen on his signature. The Gunners have been, like multiple clubs, scouting the forward for the last year.

Chelsea and Arsenal want a forward as they look to get to the top of the Premier League table but may have to wait until summer for Ferguson due to his high asking price.

The Ireland international has been superb since breaking through to the senior side last season and has been gaining the attention of some of England’s biggest clubs.

Ferguson’s new six-year deal runs until 2029 and will give him a salary beyond £1million per year, over double what he was receiving on his previous deal.

Wages will not be a problem for clubs chasing his signature, but Tony Bloom and his staff will not let the goalscorer leave without a huge return on their investment.

Chelsea willing to wait for Ferguson

Ferguson arrived at the south coast club from Bohemians in the League of Ireland Premier Division for just a few hundred thousand pounds in 2021 and could net Brighton a huge windfall that eclipses the profit made from the sale of Caicedo.

This is the hope of his employers who are expecting offers to arrive next summer and were moved to tie down their asset to a new deal to extract maximum value from any sale.

Chelsea have their focus on a more experienced forward this January but are massive fans of Ferguson and would be one of the sides keen to talk about any potential deal.

Since signing for Albion, Ferguson has made 43 appearances, scoring 15 goals. He has also been capped at senior level for Ireland on eight occasions and has got three international goals to his name.

Chelsea and Arsenal are not the only top flight sides keen on the goalscorer. Tottenham, Man United and Liverpool have all reportedly been keeping an eye on Ferguson ahead of the summer window.

Erik ten Hag has reportedly made the teenager a top target for United as they look to solve their problems in front of goal. The Red Devils have watched Ferguson extensively in recent weeks and are determined to win the race for his signature.

United have previously bid £50m for Ferguson, only to see their offer declined and it will likely take any interested side at least double that if they want any hope of landing the future star. Fellow Premier League side Liverpool were pipped to the signing of Ferguson during his academy days and have maintained their interest.

Tottenham are also incredibly keen on Ferguson and see him as the ideal long-term replacement for Harry Kane who departed for Bayern Munich in the summer.

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