Chelsea and Man Utd issued hands-off warning as Brighton rule out January sales

Several Brighton stars are in demand ahead of the January transfer window.

Posted Sunday, January 01, 2023 by Express.co.uk

Chelsea and Manchester United have been told by Brighton that Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister will be going nowhere in January. Both Seagulls stars have been linked with departures ahead of the winter window, but the South Coast outfit plan to keep their squad intact for the remainder of the Premier League season.

Caicedo was sought by Chelsea, United and Liverpool in the summer, while Leandro Trossard has been loosely linked with the Blues - who are now managed by former Brighton boss Graham Potter. World Cup winner Mac Allister is also of interest to big European clubs.

But Brighton CEO Paul Barber has issued a hands-off warning to clubs circling the Seagulls' prized assets. Midfielders Caicedo and Mac Allister, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez will be kept beyond the January transfer window.

Responding to rumours that Brighton have ‘offered' players to other clubs, Barber said: "We have not offered anyone to anyone and have no plans to.

Chelsea want Alexis Mac Allister after his World Cup performances

"In an ideal world our squad, which is as good as it has been for a long time, will remain intact through the whole of January and we will go into the second half of the season as we are.

"The next 30-odd days is [going to be] unpredictable and we will deal with whatever comes in. But we are not offering anyone to anyone."

Quizzed by the Brighton Argus on whether there has been contact with teams over Caicedo and Mac Allister, the Brighton chief added: "No, and we don't want any. We are quite happy as we are, certainly for as long as we can be. But we are also realistic.

"Alexis Mac Allister has just won a World Cup at 23 years of age and has had a fantastic season with us. We know there is going to be interest in Alexis. We know Moises Caicedo is one of the top talents. We know Rob Sanchez is one of the world's best young goalkeepers.

"This is normal, this is the world we wanted to operate in and this is the world we are operating in. We can't be surprised when there is interest and at some point we have to accept that these players will go on to play at an even higher level than ours.

"But, at the moment, we are going well. We are looking forward to the rest of the season and we want to try and keep our group together."

Caicedo and Mac Allister have been excellent for Brighton this season, who have survived the turbulence of Potter's departure in September. Roberto de Zerbi has guided the Seagulls into the top half of the Premier League.