'The boy wants to go' - South American attacking 'jewel' makes his stance clear on £6m Brighton move

Brighton are expected to wrap up negotiations with Club Libertad and agree a fee of around £6m for the 18-year-old attacking midfielder.

The Indy understands Club Libertad wanted £8m, Albion were offering £4m and it appears they have met somewhere in the middle to strike a £6m deal.

The attacking player has scored 10 goals and bagged five assists in 51 appearances for the Paraguayan outfit and has already represented his country twice at international level.

Honorary club president Horacio Cartes said: “The boy wants to go. For me, for many people, it’s the best league in the world.

“It will be a great honour, still conscious of the fact that he is just starting in the national team.

“He turned 18 the day before yesterday.

“I have no doubt that the nickname Joya fits him well because he is a true jewel.

“Emotionally he is very good. He has parents who accompany him a lot and accompany him well.

“If it’s time to go the Premier League, then he should go. We are talking about details.”

Enciso is tipped as one of South America's finest young talents and made his debut for Club Libertad at just 15-years-of age.

He played for Paraguay at the 2019 South American under-15 Championship and made rapid progress to the senior Paraguay team and made his full debut in a 3–1 2021 Copa

América win over Bolivia in June last year at the age of 18.

Ensico also became the youngest player to ever score in the Copa Libertadores this century.

The 5ft 6in midfielder joined Club Libertad as an 11-year-old and although they are reluctant to lose their star player the club president Rubén Di Tore admits Enciso is destined to move at some stage to a major European league. If not January then possibly the summer.

“There is Brighton’s proposal for Enciso," said Di Tore recently to Paraguay outlet VERSUS.

"We are analysing it. We don’t want to sell him just to sell him, but we also don’t want to cut off the possibility of him playing in one of the best leagues in the world.

“If he doesn’t leave now, he will leave later. I see him with more possibilities [to leave] in the next semester [summer], but we will continue analysing."