Brighton and Hove Albion’s continuous scouting of South America for talent has seen them add River Plate youngster Juan Cruz Meza to their list.
That’s [according to El Intransigente](https://elintransigente.com/2025/10/atento-river-el-club-europeo-que-seguiria-de-cerca-a-una-de-las-joyas-del-club/), who report that Brighton are ‘closely following’ the River Plate youngster.
They report that Brighton have the young talent on their radar. They’re aware of his current performances for the Argentine side, where he looks likely to be a key player in future.
The 17-year-old has already made his debut under Marcelo Gallardo. River are aware of his talent and have already moved to secure his future. They signed him to a deal until December 2026 in June 2024.
That includes a €30m release clause to ward off any interest. Brighton are already aware of the figure. Whether they’d be willing to pay it isn’t made clear.
They’re not opposed to spending big sums on young talent they think can be developed, as they’ve proven many times already. They do, though, tend to focus on the lower end deals when it comes to players such as Meza.
It would be more likely that they’re willing to sit, wait and see what the situation is next year. Even a deal in the summer is likely to be cheaper if a new deal hasn’t been agreed.