Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly keen on signing Billy Gilmour permanently from Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Brighton & Hove Albion are keen on signing Chelsea’s fringe star Billy Gilmour permanently, as the Scottish midfielder faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.
Billy Gilmour made his big breakthrough at Chelsea when Frank Lampard was at the helm and looked set to play a key role under his successor after a string of impressive outings in the first few months of Thomas Tuchel’s tenure. He also caught the eyeballs while representing his country in last summer’s European Championships.
But Chelsea sent out Gilmour out on loan to Norwich to earn regular top-flight minutes with the Canaries. However, the 21-year-old had a season to forget as he largely struggled for game-time during his time at Carrow Road and was even booed by his own fans. The Scot is now back at Chelsea and out of favour under Tuchel.
Gilmour has not been handed a squad number for the upcoming season, with the Blues trying to find a solution for him in the market. The young midfield prospect, who still has two years left on his current CHelsea deal, has not been named in the west London club’s first two Premier League squads this season, and he appears destined to depart from Stamford Bridge this summer.
Everton have been strongly linked with a loan move this summer, with Lampard known to be a great admirer of the 21-year-old’s talents. However, Brighton & Hove Albion are now exploring a potential deal for the Chelsea midfielder and are plotting a permanent move, according to Daily Mail.
Brighton and Chelsea share a decent working relationship thanks to their transfer dealings earlier this summer. Marc Cucurella joined Chelsea permanently, while highly-rated central defender Levi Colwill headed in the other direction on a season-long loan.
Brighton have already lost Yves Bissouma to Premier League bigwigs Tottenham Hotspur, and Ecuadorian midfield enforcer Moises Caicedo is linked to a big-money move to Manchester United. So the Seagulls have turned to Chelsea once again to reinforce their midfield department and have asked about the potential availability of Gilmour.
The new Premier League regulations prevent teams from registering more than one loan deal from the same club and only two domestic loans in all. As a result, Brighton will likely make a permanent swoop for Gilmour. The report does not mention a potential asking price or if Gilmour or Chelsea would be open to this prospect, which at first glance looks to be an excellent opportunity for the player to re-launch his career.
From Brighton’s perspective, he fits the bill perfectly. Gilmour’s best assets are his ball-playing ability and distribution, which will suit Graham Potter’s possession-based style at the Amex. Meanwhile, his lack of defensive awareness can be offset by having a midfield destroyer like Caicedo alongside him.
At 21, the Scottish midfield prospect still has a loads of untapped potential left to be uncovered. With Chelsea open to parting ways with Gilmour and in the market for another midfielder in Frenkie de Jong, things might fall into place for the player and both Premier League clubs.