Brighton set to sign Stuttgart's Nicolas Gonzalez for club record fee

Brighton are set to sign Nicolas Gonzalez after agreeing a club record fee for the Stuttgart forward.

The 23-year-old endured an injury hit 2020/21 season but was performing well before a knee problem in February, hitting six Bundesliga goals in 15 games overall. Prior to that he impressed in the German second tier, netting 15 times as Stuttgart secured promotion back to the top flight.

His form has also attracted the attention of Argentina, with the frontman already earning seven caps for his country and making it into their 2021 Copa America squad.

Brighton have been linked with a move for Gonzalez for some time and after having a bid rejected last summer, an agreement has now been reached, according to the Guardian. The initial fee is around £25m, although these may increase with add-ons.

Serie A side Fiorentina - where Gennaro Gattuso has recently taken over as manager - have had a similar bid accepted but as Gonzalez favours a Premier League move, Brighton are very much in pole position.

He has been linked with both Leeds and Tottenham in the past but their failure to make an offer has seen the Seagulls take the initiative. Graham Potter will be hoping that Gonzalez can help relieve their struggles in front of goal.

Brighton underperformed their expected goals by a staggering 12.6 last season with only relegated pair Sheffield United and Fulham faring worse. Had everyone in the Premier League performed as their xG suggested the Seagulls would have finished fifth, instead of 16th.

Although Brighton's transfer window has got off to a promising start they could be in for a challenging summer. Ben White - who was called up to England's Euro 2020 squad recently - is a said to be a target for Manchester United, while 90min revealed recently that Yves Bissouma is eyeing a move to Arsenal.