Brighton & Hove Albion have joined Fulham and West Ham United in the battle to sign soon-to-be Southampton free agent Kyle Walker-Peters.
Of all the players that the Saints may lose this summer, their star full-back is the only one that they won't be well compensated for.
Walker-Peters will be able to pick which club he wants to join when his contract expires at the end of this month, ending a five-year run with Southampton that earned him his first England cap back in 2022.
Kyle Walker-Peters' Southampton career stats
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Source: Transfermarkt
Interest in Walker-Peters has lingered for a while now. Pre and post their promotion to the Premier League, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, his former club, were reportedly considering a move for the versatile defender, though nothing ever materialised.
Premier League sides are starting to line up now, however, with the 28-year-old's wages being the only financial burden on whichever team gets his signature. A new candidate has been added to that list of interested parties.
Brighton join race to sign Kyle Walker-Peters
Brighton have been wooed by Walker-Peters, according to Sky Sports, and could mount a challenge against their top flight rivals to sign him.
Fulham and West Ham got to the Walker-Peters scene much earlier than they did, with it being reported by talkSPORT that the Hammers had already made a contract offer to the Southampton player.
Kyle Walker-Peters of Southampton
Scottish full-back Max Johnston has been linked with being a replacement option for the ex-England international. It will reportedly cost £3 million to buy him from Austrian side Sturm Graz.
They are expecting to lose more than just the full-back this summer. It will be a similar story to the last time that they went down in 2023, when they earned £145 million from player sales. Club chairman Dragan Solak is targeting £100 million from trading his top English athletes - Tyler Dibling, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Aaron Ramsdale - before the start of next term.
Mateus Fernandes is also being targeted by a few Premier League sides, but, in some positive news for the Hampshire side, he has indicated that he is focused on returning to St Mary's to help Southampton have a much better season next time out than his first one in England.
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The Portuguese midfielder might not be a sitting duck for the top flight trio to snatch.
Mounting Premier League interest in Walker-Peters comes as no surprise
Every single team in the Premier League, other than the ones right at the top end of the table, should have the 28-year-old on their watchlist this summer. His positional fluidity is ridiculous compared to most players in his position, seamlessly switching from left flank to right.
He started 33 games for the Saints last season, comfortably demonstrating that he was one of the best players in a very poor side. A Premier League-level starting XI player he is, and the lack of need to pay another club a fee in order to get him makes him an even more attractive commodity.