'Just like Joshua Kimmich' – Brighton battle Italian giants for German star as £10m Sunderland deal sealed

Brighton are reportedly in the hunt for young St Pauli talent Marwin Schmitz.

The 18-year-old midfielder has impressed the Bundesliga League club this term and signed his first professional contract last January which runs until 2027.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler previously managed at St Pauli and guided the German club to the top tier before moving to the Seagulls. Hurzeler is likely aware of the talented Schmitz but he’s not the only one.

Reports from Sport Witness claim that Brighton have requested "information" on the midfield ace but also state they face competition from Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Leipzig.

Brighton are no stranger to collecting young talent and have already signed two 18-year-olds, with both set to join this summer.

The Seagulls paid £10m to Sunderland to secure the services of teenage winger Tommy Watson, while Korean winger Yun Do-young signed for around £2m from Daejeon Hana Citizen. Will Schmitz be the third?

Albion also paid £22m last month to Bundesliga 2 club FC Nürnberg to land the slightly older Stefanos Tzimas.

The 19-year-old, who has 12 goals and three assists in the German second tier this term, will also arrive this summer.

Albion technical director David Weir added: "He will spend the second half of the season with Nuremberg, who have provided him with an excellent opportunity this season, to continue his development in the Bundesliga 2.

"We will keep a close eye on his progress and wish him the very best for the second half of the season with Nuremberg."

Brighton will also have to make a decision on their Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson who is currently struggling on his loan at West Ham.

Former Ireland striker Shane Long, speaking to Ladbrokes, said: "I was excited for Evan [Ferguson] when he went to West Ham, because he was going to a manager he knew well – I thought he'd put an arm around him, give him a bit of confidence and get the best out of him, but it's not really turned out that way.

"He just needs to get away for the summer now, forget about football for a while, get his fitness in order, and come back fresh.”

For your next Albion read: Watch the latest Gull-Mouth Action podcast here - our journalists discuss Graham Potter's return to Brighton and Crawley Town's relegation