Lewis Dunk is still likely to be leading Albion next season.
He is 95% certain to be skippering the Seagulls under new head coach Graham Potter, according to a well-placed source.
Speculative reports have been linking Dunk to Leicester as part of a transfer triangle involving England’s Harry Maguire and Portsmouth’s Matt Clarke.
Although an exit from the Amex for Dunk cannot be completely ruled out, The Argus understands the reports are wide of the mark.
Maguire admirers Manchester United are nowhere near Leicester’s valuation of their central defender.
He has also been linked with Manchester City but, even if Maguire ends up moving, there are plenty more names on Leicester’s list of potential replacements apart from Dunk.
Albion remain keen on Clarke. Their long-standing interest in the 22-year-old, however, is related to concerns about Leon Balogun losing patience with a lack of game time and formation scope for new head coach Graham Potter, rather than any doubts about Dunk’s future.
Home-grown Dunk and partner Shane Duffy have been the bedrock of Albion’s rise from the Championship and two seasons of safety in the Premier League.
Dunk’s consistent influence earned him an England call-up from Gareth Southgate last year. He made his debut in a friendly against the US at Wembley in November.
The 27-year-old Brightonian was runner-up to Duffy for the player of the season award as Albion narrowly escaped relegation under ex-manager Chris Hughton.
Valencia are the likely last opponents for the Seagulls prior to the launch of their third season in the Premier League.
They have an Amex friendly earmarked for the early evening on Friday August 2 after a warm-up game in Austria against unconfirmed opponents and matches against Crawley, Fulham and Birmingham.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel