Brighton have been one of the teams to watch over the last few seasons in the Premier League, constantly punching above their weight and rising to appear in European football. But this wasn’t the case in the 2025-26 campaign, as the Seagulls narrowly missed out on the qualification spots, finishing a single point away from the coveted seventh spot in the league table.
A large part of their strong showing in the 2025-26 campaign was the outstanding work on the defensive end of the pitch, allowing the third-lowest amount of goals, only trailing the top-two teams in the league, Arsenal and Manchester City.
While the Seagulls’ back four includes the likes of Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Mats Wieffer, and Ferdi Kadioglu, who worked well for them, the team is reportedly looking to add to their depth over the summer.
The Seagulls are looking towards Ligue 1 for their next signing
🚨🔵 Understand Brighton are still keen on Charlie Cresswell.
The Premier League club had a €23m bid rejected by Toulouse in January and are expected to return for the England U21 international this summer.
Toulouse’s asking price has risen since the winter window. pic.twitter.com/aslaFDkKYc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 1, 2026
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Brighton are looking to bring Charlie Cresswell to the American Express Stadium.
Cresswell currently plays for Toulouse in Ligue 1, making 32 appearances last season, in which he’d record 31 interceptions and win 15 tackles, becoming known as quite the defensive anchor in the French top flight.
While there isn’t a known price for the Englishman, Romano states that the Seagulls’ bid of € 23 million from the winter transfer window isn’t expected to cover the asking fee in the summer window.
If Cresswell is to make the move to the Premier League, it would be a return for the 23-year-old, who came up through Leeds United, making five appearances in the English top flight before his move to France.
MORE TRANSFER NEWS