Brighton and Leeds in £15m tussle for Stuttgart forward

Brighton and Leeds look set to do battle in the transfer market once again as both teams attempt to strengthen for the upcoming Premier League campaign
Nicolas Gonzalez scored 14 goals with seven assists for Stuttgart last seasonNicolas Gonzalez scored 14 goals with seven assists for Stuttgart last season
Nicolas Gonzalez scored 14 goals with seven assists for Stuttgart last season

On this occasion however the two clubs will not be discussing the future of Brighton's talented young defender Ben White but they do seem to be competing for the same striker as both are interested in signing Nicolás González from Stuttgart.

The left-footed 22-year-old Argentina forward is keen on a move to the Premier League and is expected to cost upward of £15m.

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Last season González scored 14 goals with seven assists as Stuttgart were promoted back to the Bundesliga after one campaign in the German second tier.

González moved to Stuttgart from Alexis Mac Allister's former club Argentinos Juniors in 2018 for £7.65m and his contract with the German club expires in 2023.

The 5ft 11in striker is also attracting interest from elsewhere across Europe with Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Internazionale all keen.

"He's got a lot of qualities, but what I like best about him is that he's a winner. He wants to win at all costs. He always gives 100 percent, and gets stuck in. He's very important for us," said Stuttgart coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo.

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Fellow Argentine Mac Allister made an encouraging start to life in the Premier League with Brighton and the prospect of adding another of South America's most promising young players in González will excite the Albion fans.

Neal Maupay was Albion's leading scorer with 10 goals to his name last season and head coach Graham Potter is keen to increase their goal tally from other areas of the pitch.

Leeds also remain determined to increase their firepower after missing out on striker Jonathan David who joined Lille for £27m from Genk.

“With him (González) you can imagine that clubs are willing to spend a lot and they have to,” Stuttgart’s sporting director, Thomas Hitzlsperger, said. “If we decide to hand him over, then it really has to be expensive.”

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Marcelo Bielsa's team also had two bids of around £22m rejected by Brighton for White. The Albion defender was excellent for Leeds during his season-long loan but Brighton are determined to keep White who they believe can be a key man for them in the Premier League next season.

White has also attracted interest from Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City.

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