Liverpool tipped to swoop for £120m Man City target despite shock Real Madrid transfer claim | OneFootball

Evan Ferguson embraces Kaoru Mitoma.

Liverpool and Chelsea have been tipped to challenge Manchester City in the race to sign Republic of Ireland international Evan Ferguson from Brighton.

Ferguson has emerged as one of the best young strikers in Europe as the 18-year-old has been quick to make an impact for Brighton in the Premier League.

Last time out against Newcastle United, Ferguson scored his first Premier League hat-trick as Brighton beat Eddie Howe’s side 3-1. He has now netted ten goals in his first 24 league appearances.

The talented teenager recently committed his future to Brighton until 2028 so Roberto De Zerbi’s team will be able to demand a huge fee for their prized asset when clubs come calling.

It has recently been claimed that Man City have their eye on Ferguson and they want him to play with Erling Haaland. It’s even been suggested by Spanish media that they would let Julian Alvarez join Spanish giants Real Madrid for a ‘lucrative’ fee to fund a £120m move for the Brighton standout.

Man City are likely to face heavy competition in the race for Ferguson, though. Former England international Glen Johnson thinks Chelsea and Liverpool will also be monitoring the striker’s progress.

“[Chelsea and Liverpool] should at least try [to sign Ferguson], for sure. He’s a young kid that’s burst on the scene and is scoring goals in the Premier League, which is obviously a very tough thing to do,” Johnson told GGRecon.

“Evan will have a better chance at getting into either Chelsea or Liverpool’s team than he would Manchester City’s if he decided to make the move there.

“I believe Chelsea and Liverpool will have their eyes on Evan already because young goalscorers in the Premier League don’t come around that often, so you can completely understand why the big guns will have their eyes on him.”

During the international break, Liverpool legend Dirk Kuyt predicted that Ferguson is going be “watched” by his former club this season.

“Evan Ferguson looks dangerous to me! He’s in good form. He’s an interesting player to watch, and I look forward to following him in the next couple of months,” Kuyt told Betting Sites.

“It is difficult to transfer your form from your club to your national team – especially when you play against stronger teams, and I’d say Holland is stronger. For me, he’s one of the ones to watch in the Premier League at the moment.

“Ferguson will definitely be watched by top-six clubs, including Liverpool, but he’ll have to keep going for a longer time to show he’s able to have a very consistent season. But from what I’ve seen so far, he could definitely be on the radar of the top sides.”