The teenager chooses to sign for Brighton over their bitter rivals Crystal Palace
Highly rated star was approaching final 12 months of his Sunderland contract
LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Why it makes more sense for Manchester United to sell Marcus Rashford
By SIMON JONES
Published: 17:45 EDT, 1 April 2025 | Updated: 17:45 EDT, 1 April 2025
Brighton have agreed a deal worth around £10million for Sunderland winger Tommy Watson.
The Premier League side tried to sign the highly-rated 18-year old in January and had offered a package worth up to £13m. Watson had even travelled ready to undergo a medical only for the clubs to fail to reach agreement.
Crystal Palace also made enquiries to sign Watson but Brighton's perseverance has won the teenager over.
He was approaching the final year of his contract but had shown no willingness to agree a new deal so Sunderland took the decision to accept Brighton's revised offer.
Watson has agreed a four-year contract with option for a further year and Sunderland have also secured a sell-on clause of 20 per cent. The deal will become official after July 1.
Brighton technical director David Weir said: 'Tommy is an exciting young talent who we have been tracking for a significant period of time. He's had an excellent breakthrough season with Sunderland, and we are looking forward to him joining us in the summer. However, for now his full focus is on helping them finish their season as strongly as possible.'
Tommy Watson (right) has made 14 appearances for the senior team this season, scoring twice
The signing of Tommy Watson is a big coup for Brighton manager Fabian Huerzeler
Sunderland will have to fight off interest in the likes of Jobe Bellingham (right) this summer
Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: 'Tommy’s a very talented young player, who’s been subject to multiple offers from Premier League Clubs over the past two windows, and it’s been well-documented that we’ve declined these approaches with the intent of extending his contract.
'Unfortunately, this has not been possible, and we now believe this agreement represents the best long-term outcome for Sunderland.'
Watson has made 14 appearances for the senior team this season, scoring twice.
Sunderland face the prospect of further offers for their players this summer.
Red Bull Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund lead the admirers for Jobe Bellingham while West Ham and Everton are among several clubs looking at Chris Rigg.