Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion are wasting no time in their bid to strengthen the core of their team, with reports now claiming that the club have had their £18m bid for Celtic and French under-21 star Moussa Dembele accepted.
The report is according to Sky Sport journalist Kaveh Solhekol who claimed the Scottish champions have finally given up on their hopes of holding onto the former Fulham star and have settled on a price of £18m for the striker.
Breaking… Celtic accept bid from Brighton for striker Moussa Dembélé. Two clubs have reached agreement on transfer fee of £18 million
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) December 25, 2017
Dembele has been a man in-demand ever since moving north of the border, with his goalscoring record for the Bhoys impressive to say the least. The 21-year-old has 40 goals in just 67 appearances in all competitions, a stat that saw the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea come calling.
Yet, it is Premier League newboys Brighton who look to have stolen the march on their domestic rivals, according to the latest reports, and if the move goes through it will smash their previous transfer record.
The Seagulls’ £13.5m signing of Colombian winger Jose Izquierdo beat the previous record held by Davy Propper just a few weeks earlier, but both transfers will pale insignificant to the potential arrival of Dembele.
Brighton boss Chris Hughton knows that his side will need to score goals if they are to stay in the top flight and Dembele will certainly prove more of a goal threat than current frontmen Glenn Murray and Tomer Hemed.