Brighton, Fulham and Leeds United emerge as contenders to sign £18m-rated 25-goal prolific striker

Brighton & Hove Albion have emerged as contenders to sign an £18m-rated striker from the Championship.

The Seagulls have already brought in three fresh recruits this summer; Dutch defender Joel Veltman, Wigan Atheltic teenager Jensen Weir and England international Adam Lallana.

And the bookmakers are offering odds on Graham Potter strengthening his squad further, with outlets tipping Brighton as contenders to sign ex-Barcelona, AC Milan and Everton forward Gerard Deulofeu, alongside Bournemouth pair Josh King and Aaron Ramsdale.

However, a new name has now entered into the betting. Ollie Watkins – a striker with second-tier Brentford – has been installed at 12/1 with SkyBet to join Potter’s ranks.

The prolific forward – who netted 25 times in the Championship last season – is rumoured to have a release clause of £18 million in his contract.

And The Bees suffering an extra-time loss to Fulham in the play-off last night has caused speculation to swirl around the 24-year-old’s future next season.

As well as Brighton, SkyBet offering odds on the Englishman joining Aston Villa (4/1), Leeds United (4/1), West Ham (5/1), West Brom (9/1) and Fulham (10/1).

However, it is unclear if Potter is in the market for a striker. “If I pinpoint the areas that we need, that highlights all the targets and all the agents," he said back in July.

“So they think, ‘Fantastic! Brighton are in the market for this player or that player’. That does not make any sense.”

All odds correct at the time of writing. Over 18s only. Please gamble responsibly and Be Gamble Aware. www.begambleaware.org.