Chelsea Yasin Ayari interest is the latest Brighton link in the transfer rumours, according to TEAMtalk. The site says Chelsea have joined Galatasaray in the hunt for the 23-year-old Sweden midfielder, with talks over a new Brighton contract stalled. Nothing has been agreed, and neither club has commented on the report.
What TEAMtalk reports
TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey writes that Ayari’s contract runs out at the end of the season, with Brighton holding an option to extend it by 12 months. The site says sources have told it that Brighton have not yet used that option, even though the player’s camp expected them to. It adds that the two sides have been talking about fresh terms since before the summer and that the talks have run into difficulties.
TEAMtalk says Chelsea are monitoring the situation and that the player is well known to sporting director Paul Winstanley, who was Brighton’s head of scouting until November 2022 and played a part in spotting Ayari. It also says other Premier League clubs are watching, but that the strongest interest could come from abroad, with Galatasaray still keen after looking at him in the summer. Ayari has become one of Brighton’s most important players under Fabian Hurzeler, with two assists in the club’s opening six games of the season.
Chelsea Yasin Ayari interest: the Brighton pipeline
TEAMtalk points out that more than a dozen players and staff have moved between Brighton and Chelsea in recent years, among them Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro and, this summer, Danny Welbeck. Ayari would be one more name on that list, but this is a report of interest, not a confirmed approach.
Yasin Ayari after Brighton’s match at Sunderland. Photo: Brighton & Hove Albion (brightonandhovealbion.com).
For more Chelsea news, see our latest Chelsea team news, our look at a January transfer link and the December fixtures guide.
Source: TEAMtalk (Graeme Bailey). Image: Brighton & Hove Albion.
