Arsenal and Manchester City have not been thwarted by Tariq Lamptey’s recent renewal with Brighton and reportedly retain their interest in him.
According to a report by The Athletic, Arsenal and Manchester City continue to hold an interest in Tariq Lamptey despite the fact that he signed a new contract with Brighton & Hove Albion recently. The 20-year-old full-back is also a target for Everton, although no bids have been lodged for him yet.
Lamptey has progressed considerably since joining Brighton & Hove Albion from Chelsea in January 2020. Touted to be one of the most promising young defenders within the Blues’ youth setup during his time at the club’s famed academy, the England Under-21 international has been quite impressive to say the least.
This season, Lamptey has been a mainstay in Graham Potter’s side, missing just one Premier League game when fit and available. In 11 outings in the top-flight, the youngster has a fine return of 1 goal and 3 assists to show for his efforts, excelling in the right wing-back berth. His progress has been duly noted, with Arsenal and Manchester City keen on signing him,
Arsenal are in a precarious position surrounding the future of current first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin. The Spanish international is being linked with a possible return to Barcelona, with interest from Juventus and PSG also emerging in recent times.
If Arsenal do end up losing the services of Bellerin anytime soon, they would be plunged into the market for a replacement, with Cedric Soares not having the quality to be a regular in Mikel Arteta’s side. To that end, Lamptey is a viable option for the Gunners, who face competition from Manchester City in his pursuit.
The interest from Manchester City does not really make sense, considering Pep Guardiola already has two top class right-backs in Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo at his disposal. With the two players going strong at the Etihad, it is unclear how Lamptey will settle in at the club.
Nevertheless, it looks like Manchester City are set to challenge Arsenal, Everton and Bayern Munich in the race to sign the former Chelsea defender. The quartet have not been put off by the 20-year-old’s recent decision to pen a bumper new deal with Brighton.
The suitors do intend to make a move for Lamptey, but the report claims that no official bids have been lodged yet. Arsenal, Manchester City and others will be boosted by the fact that Brighton’s valuation of Lamptey has not been changed by the recent renewal, and it remains to be seen if they do launch the offensive for the former Chelsea man in the summer, with a January move unlikely.
