Despite securing Europa League football for next season, Brighton are set to embark on an important summer transfer window in which their priority will be to try and keep hold of as many star players as possible, and that is easier said than done when Champions League clubs come knocking.
The Seagulls will only allow players to leave on their terms, though, and have proven in recent windows that they will not be bullied by the big boys into selling below their valuation of a particular star.
That said, the already-confirmed loss of Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool for a reported initial fee of just £35m is less than they would have hoped to receive for the World Cup-winning Argentine.
Moises Caicedo has also been strongly linked with a move away from the Amex, with Roberto De Zerbi all but admitting that the midfielder is likely to leave the club, although having rebuffed Arsenal's advances for him in January, they are likely to command a much higher fee for the Ecuadorian than they could for Mac Allister.
Robert Sanchez may decide to seek pastures new having fallen out of favour under De Zerbi, while the long-term futures of Joel Veltman - out of contract this summer - Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana are also uncertain, and potential exits for both Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson have been mooted, although appear less likely this summer.
With regards to possible incomings, De Zerbi has insisted that he is keen to build a squad capable of competing in four competitions next season, so bolstering a group that has suffered with injuries, particularly in the latter stages of this season, is a must for the Seagulls who have already agreed a deal to sign forward Joao Pedro from Watford for a club-record fee.
Keeping Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill, who has impressed in his first-ever top-flight campaign, is high on De Zerbi's agenda, but that will depend on whether he fits into the plans of Mauricio Pochettino, the incoming manager at Stamford Bridge.
Recruiting a new goalkeeper to compete with Jason Steele is sure to be on De Zerbi's shopping list should Sanchez depart the Amex, while the addition of a new left-back to provide competition for Pervis Estupinan, the club's only natural option in that position, could also be on the cards.
Oliver Thomas
