Brighton have signed Manchester City transfer targets Anton Palmer and Bailey Palmer.
The twins shared a photo of themselves holding Brighton shirts on Instagram on Tuesday, confirming that the Seagulls have won the battle for the pair’s signatures.
They had recently revealed they would be leaving Middlesbrough where they had spent their formative years, but they have now put pen to paper on senior contracts on the South Coast.
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It’s a major coup for Brighton who have seen off competition, not only from City, but from the other five ‘Big Six’ teams as well.
The Palmer brothers were in high demand
It was reported by TBRFootball at the start of this week that the teenagers had received “offers” from Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham.
Brighton were also mentioned as being in the mix, but they were not regarded as one of the frontrunners.
Both Anton and Bailey wanted to continue playing for the same club, so it appears the two England Under-17 internationals decided that the Amex was the best place to continue their development.
Man City have been raiding other academies
While the Cityzens may have failed in their attempts to lure the Palmer twins to the Etihad Campus, they have sealed the signatures of several other youngsters in recent months.
The England Under-17 captain, Freddie Lawrie, arrived from Aston Villa at the beginning of September, as did Dexter Oliver from Tottenham.
Liverpool’s Kaylum Moss and Paris Saint-Germain’s Mahamadou Sangare have also joined City’s academy setup over the summer.
Since Brexit, British clubs have been prevented from signing anyone under the age of 18 from abroad, so youth recruitment is now very much focused on snapping up players from other teams in the UK and Ireland.
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here