Getafe boss Michel has warned his club will "make an effort" to keep Marc Cucurella.
Albion want to add the Olympic silver medallist left-back to their squad for the new Premier League season.
But Michel would love to keep him in his LaLiga set-up.
He revealed his personal opinion is that the 23-year-old will remain a Getafe player.
Speaking exclusively to The Argus after his side’s 2-0 friendly win at the Amex, Michel said: “I sincerely believe Marc will stay with us because he is a very interesting player.
“We know how good he is and I think we are going to make an effort to make sure he doesn’t go and he stays with us.”
Albion could turn up the heat if they meet an exit clause reported to be about £15 million.
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Michel said: “I think it’s good that Brighton have noticed him but I think he is going to stay with us.”
The Getafe coach said Albion gave his side a thorough test six days before their league opener away to Valencia.
He said: “Brighton seemed to me to be a good team - compact, with lots of options in the way they play.
“It’s not easy to contain them when they are on the attack. They have lots of alternatives. It was a tough test for us.
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“We knew they would be a bit better physically than us.
“But for us it was a really good game.
“To test yourself against a team from the Premier League is always an incentive.”
Cucurella played the first 90 minutes as Spain lost 2-1 to Brazil after extra-time in the Olympic final in Yokohama yesterday.
The expectation of those close to Getafe is still that Cucurella will leave but putting a time frame on when is not to easy given he will now have a holiday.
Cucurella said last week he would discuss his future with his agent only when his quest for Olympic gold was over.
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