Brighton chief outlines brilliant summer transfer trick as Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Real Madrid target '£200m' trio

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber believes achieving their targets this season can help the club keep their best players.

Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton have impressed this campaign as they are seventh in the Premier League table and target European qualification for next term.

The Seagulls have also advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they will face Man United at Wembley next month. The likes of Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma have been key to their recent success and have attracted interest from the larger clubs.

Caicedo, 21, who signed a new contract with the Seagulls last month, was wanted by Arsenal and Chelsea in the previous window and Albion reportedly turned down a bid in excess of £70m from the Gunners. Both clubs – and more – are expected to be back for the midfielder at the end of the season.

World Cup winner Mac Allister, 24, has been excellent for Albion for the past two campaigns and increased his profile and value further as he was one of Argentina's best players as they triumphed in Qatar. Man City, Liverpool, Man United Juventus and Inter are all keen on the Seagulls star and a bidding war could be on the cards this summer.

Mitoma, 24, is also on the wanted list of many clubs as the Japan international has been brilliant for Brighton on the left flank, having replaced Leo Trossard who moved to Arsenal in the previous window. Real Madrid have been the latest linked with the attacker, with Man City and Arsenal believed to be tracking the situation.

The talented trio could fetch upwards of £200m in combined transfer fees but Barber believes Albion stand the best chance of keeping them if they can qualify for Europe and perhaps win the FA Cup as well.

"We definitely know all the best players want to play at the highest level and in the biggest competitions they can," Barber said yesterday to TalkSport.

"The best chance we have of doing that is keeping our best players at the club and we know if we can achieve achieve the sort of things you are talking about, then that gives us the best chance of keeping those players.”

Barber added: "We try and put our players on the best contracts we can afford and we invest in them. We have great coaches, great facilities and we try to give them the pathway to come through to the first team as young, if they are good enough to play.

"And as you know Roberto [De Zerbi] is very brave with that. Not only the way he plays but how he sets up and the teams that he picks, the youngsters he uses. We think we have as good a chance as anyone for a club our size keeping our best talent for as long as we can.

"But we are also realistic and at some point we will lose that talent and that's when our model kicks in and that's when our recruitment has to be as good as it has for the last few years to keep replacing that talent.”

Read also: Brighton transfers: 11 players likely to leave and 23 to stay as full 34-man squad assessed