Transfer news: Is £20m Brighton, Leeds and Newcastle target Ben Brereton Diaz ready for the Premier League?

Brighton and Hove Albion have been linked with £20m move for in-form Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz
Ben Brereton Diaz has been heavily linked with a £20m move to BrightonBen Brereton Diaz has been heavily linked with a £20m move to Brighton
Ben Brereton Diaz has been heavily linked with a £20m move to Brighton

The 22-year-old has netted 17 goals in the Championship from 21 appearances so far and has also been linked with Leeds and Newcastle as the January window fast approaches.

Any striker carving up the Championship is always going to be targeted with a switch to a Premier League and Brighton's need for a striker has been well documented.

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A move to Albion is an easy link to make, plus the two clubs have a recent history of doing business as Brighton's promising duo Paul van Hecke and Reda Khadra are currently enjoying a season loan spell with Tony Mowbray's fourth placed team.

Brighton are a little light attack and tried to sign a striker in the previous window but missed out on Nicolas Gonzalez who went to Fiorentina, while negotiations with Benfica for Darwin Nunez became too problematic.

Neal Maupay - a striker Albion plucked from the Championship three seasons ago - is their leading scorer this season with six but Graham Potter's men do struggle for goals.

Leo Trossard is next with three, while Danny Welbeck, who has registered once this season, continues to struggle with a hamstring issue.

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Aaron Connolly has had problems with form and fitness and rarely gets minutes in the Premier League and Jurgen Locadia is the other recognised striker on their books. Locadia was seen briefly in the dying moments of a 0-0 draw with Leeds but is not thought to be in Potter's long-term plans.

Brereton Diaz is certainly an interesting option for Albion and fits in with the club's policy of signing talented young players with potential to improve under the guidance of head coach Potter.

A bid of £20m would test Blackburn's resolve but it would also severely dent their chances of maintaining their push for the play-offs.

Mowbray said this week if he did go, it could enable the club to buy three players of around £5m to replace the frontrunner. However, Rovers' best chance of reaching the Premier League is by keeping hold of their Chile international - it could be some time before they get another opportunity as good as this.

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Brereton Diaz was born in Stoke and represented England at youth level but opted for Chile as his mum Andrea (Díaz) was born in Concepción, Chile.

The former Man United youth player was included in Chile's squad for 2021 Copa América and on 14 June made his debut when he came off the bench against Argentina in a 1–1 draw.

He made his first start four days later and scored his first international goal against Bolivia in a 1–0 win. It's been an unusual rise to international football for a player who was released by Stoke and joined Nottingham Forest in 2017.

He scored just eight in 53 appearances at Forest but Blackburn - after a loan spell at Ewood Park - saw enough potential to pay Forest around £7m for his services.

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Last season he struggled to make an impact and netted just seven in 43 appearances as he played second fiddle to Adam Armstrong.

Blackburn sold Armstrong to Southampton last summer and Brereton Diaz has grasped his chance and more than filled the void this season.

He's a player of great potential and one Newcastle, Leeds and now Brighton are keeping close tabs on. Whether he is ready for a move to the Premier League after one excellent campaign is up for debate.

Brighton are careful in the transfer market these days and often their signings go under the radar - such as £23m Enock Mwepu last summer.

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Some feel it's too early for Brereton Diaz to take the step-up and another season in the Championship could be best for his development. Another season of 20-plus goals would perhaps prove he's ready and increase his value.

as it stands, £20 million would represent a sizable risk...but so too is missing out on a real. A tough and intriguing decision ahead for the recruitment department at Brighton.