'Hard work done' - Brighton close in on Southern American midfielder as Moises Caicedo replacement

The Uruguayan playmaker has caught the interest of the Seagulls, with the player himself revealing to VTV Uruguay that talks were in a ‘very advanced stage’.

Díaz has played for Liverpool Fútbol Club in his native country since 2016. The 20-year-old made his debut for the Primera División side in 2020 and has since gone on to make 121 appearances for the club.

The 20-year-old also captained the Uruguayan side that won the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.

No official bid has yet been made by Brighton, but a fee of at least £10m is likely to be expected from Liverpool Montevideo.

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Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi revealed the club were looking to sign a midfielder before September 1, having sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for a British transfer record fee of £115m.

Speaking before Brighton’s 4-1 win over Wolves, the Italian said: “We have studied many midfielders and I don’t know what the situation is now.”

Brighton are said to have a list of potential replacements for the Ecuadorian midfielder, including Lille teenager Carlos Baleba and RB Salzburg’s Lucas Gourna-Douath.

Baleba is said to be the Sussex side’s number one target, but their initial bid of £14.5m plus £2.5m in add-ons was rejected, as the French club want at least £25m for the Cameroonian.

Gourna-Douath is also being monitored by Brighton, but is a much lower priority amongst several other unknown targets.