Brighton & Hove Albion place Championship boss on radar amid De Zerbi contingency plan | OneFootball

According to The Guardian, the Seagulls are planning for life without the Italian in case he departs The Amex Stadium at the end of the season.

De Zerbi has been with the club since September 2022, replacing Graham Potter after his exit to Chelsea.

The 44-year-old has earned a lot of plaudits for his work with the Premier League side, guiding them to European qualification last season.

But it has been a trickier second campaign with Brighton, with injuries derailing their efforts to qualify for Europe again.

Brighton eyeing up Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna

De Zerbi’s future with Brighton is uncertain going into the summer amid their poor form in recent weeks.

The Italian was linked with the vacancies at Liverpool and Barcelona, but has seemingly missed out on both positions as Arne Slot is poised for the Anfield hotseat and Xavi is remaining with the Catalan outfit.

However, that has not stopped speculation over his future as there are still fears that he could walk away from the club once the campaign comes to an end.

Brighton have put contingency plans in place in the event that he does depart the Amex, which has led to them targeting a move for Ipswich’s McKenna.

McKenna has earned plenty of praise for his work in turning around the Suffolk outfit’s fortunes.

He guided Ipswich to promotion from League One last season, and now his side just need one point from their final game to earn their return to the Premier League.

It’s understood that promotion to the top flight wouldn’t stop Brighton from pursuing a move for the Northern Irishman.

The Seagulls are hoping that the possibility to work with the club, as well as their potentially larger transfer budget, could be enough to persuade the 37-year-old to move even if he guides Ipswich to back-to-back promotions.

Southampton's Russell Martin has also been linked with the potential vacancy at Brighton, with the ex-Scotland international defender born in the south coast city, as well as featuring for their youth academy before his professional career began.

Speculation will persist around Kieran McKenna regardless of promotion outcome

The only thing that could put an end to the speculation over McKenna’s future is likely a statement from the man himself denying any intention to move.

Xabi Alonso was being linked with a move away from Bayer Leverkusen until the Spaniard officially confirmed his desire to stay with the German champions.

McKenna may need to do something similar, or else perhaps agree to a new contract at Ipswich, to end the likes of Brighton pursuing him.

Promotion should convince McKenna that staying at Ipswich is the right step forward for his career, but the opportunity to move to Brighton could turn his head.

There will be plenty more money to play with at the Seagulls, but the chance to continue on his incredible journey at Portman Road should promotion be secured this weekend may also be too good to walk away from.