Brighton reportedly refused to insert a purchase option in Brajan Gruda’s loan move to RB Leipzig.
As exclusively revealed by The Brighton Base, the versatile forward returned to the Bundesliga on deadline day of the January transfer window on a loan deal until the end of the season in the hope of keeping his World Cup hopes alive.
Gruda believes that some impressive performances in his homeland will put him in the frame for a call-up to Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad, having been enticed by the promise of plenty of minutes at the Red Bull Arena.
Leipzig are long-term admirers of the 21-year-old, having attempted to secure his signature before the youngster left Mainz to put pen to paper with Brighton.
Thus, they were left frustrated by the Seagulls’ reluctance to negotiate any sort of option for them to make the loan move permanent at the end of the season.
According to SportBILD, Brighton have made it ‘virtually impossible’ for Gruda to join Leipzig on a permanent deal as they still have high hopes for the player in the Premier League.
The Seagulls shut all possible doors for Ole Werner’s side to negotiate anything other than a straight loan deal. Thus, it is unlikely that Gruda will join Leipzig permanently in the foreseeable future.
That is because if Gruda manages to impress back in the Bundesliga, his expected price tag would likely be out of reach of the club this summer, and if he fails to make his mark over the coming months, Leipzig intend to turn their attention to alternative targets.
Brighton’s firm stance on outright refusing to negotiate anything but a loan deal for Gruda is also a strong indicator that they expect him to return to the Sussex coast next season, rather than selling him in the summer.