All the latest transfer news and gossip from Brighton and Hove Albion and across the Premier League
Everton continue to eye Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley after a frustrating first season with the Seagulls.
O’Riley joined Brighton from Celtic for £25m last summer but suffered a serious ankle injury just minutes into his debut.
The Denmark international returned ahead of schedule but niggling injuries and the excellent form of Georginio Rutter prevented him from getting a regular run in the team.
Rutter, who joined Brighton from Leeds United for £40m, has been Fabian Hurzeler’s first choice in the No 10 role and has kept O’Riley on the sidelines.
Rutter has proved a major problem for O’Riley at Brighton, while Jack Hinshelwood, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba have been Hurzeler’s main picks in the deeper midfield positions.
O’Riley, 24, made 11 Premier League starts from 21 appearances with two goals and three assists.
The former Celtic man showed flashes of his potential which has been enough to interest David Moyes at Everton as they look to rebuild their midfield followng the exit of Abdoulaye Doucoure.
O’Riley is under contract with Brighton until June 2029 and, according to Football Insider, the Seagulls will demand at least the £25m they paid for the midfielder.
Crystal Palace’s European tour on hold?
Palace qualified for the Europa League after they stunned Manchester City at Wembley to clinch FA Cup final success on May 17.
However, John Textor holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace through his company Eagle Football and he is also the owner of French club Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1.
No individual is allowed to have a significant say in the running of two clubs competing in the same UEFA competition and the CFCB would have to make a ruling on any potential breach.
Palace are confident no rules have been breached owing to the fact that Textor – through Eagle Football – has only a 25 per cent share of voting rights alongside fellow principal owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and chairman Steve Parish. Parish is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the club.
Crystal Palace will meet UEFA officials on Tuesday and plead their case . Brighton will keep a close eye on developments, as the Seagulls, who finished eighth last season, will be the next in line to compete in Europe if Palace are prevented from doing do.
Mason moves on
Ryan Mason ended his lengthy association with Tottenham on Monday to accept his first permanent managerial role as West Brom boss.
West Brom quickly made Mason, 33, their leading candidate to replace Tony Mowbray after the veteran was dismissed on April 21.
Spurs’ roller-coaster 2024-25 campaign only ended on May 25 but after a short holiday, Mason decided to accept the advances of the Championship club and agreed a three-year deal to become the youngest head coach in the second tier.
Once-capped England midfielder Mason spent 17 years at Tottenham as a player before a further seven years as a coach after he was forced to retire in 2018 after he fractured his skull in a Premier League match.
Transfer activity continues
Liverpool continue to pursue a deal to sign Florian Wirtz after their £109million bid was rebuffed by Bayer Leverkusen.
A firm offer was made on Friday but the Bundesliga side are holding out for a fee closer to £125m and talks are continuing.
Chelsea, meanwhile, completed the signing of midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting in time for him to be registered to feature in this month’s Club World Cup.
Elsewhere, Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has reportedly decided to join Manchester United this summer despite interest from other Premier League clubs.
Wiegman ‘pretty close’ to knowing Euro 2025 squad
England face Spain in the Women’s Nations League in their final competitive fixture before the defence of their European Championship title this summer.
Sarina Wiegman will cast an eye over her squad for one last time in Barcelona before she is forced to whittle down her options.
However, the Euros-winning head coach admitted on Monday that she was “pretty close” to knowing her squad before a Group A3 clash which will determine who progresses into the competition’s finals.
“We’re pretty close. Still of course you want to go to the game tomorrow and make the final decisions, but we’re pretty close,” Wiegman revealed.
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