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Kaoru Mitoma agrees for New Deal
Despite interest from Manchester City and Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma has allegedly decided to sign a new five-year contract with the club.
The 26-year-old joined the Seagulls in August 2021 from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale and was then loaned out to Union SG for the 2021-22 season before establishing himself as a key player on the South Coast under head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
Mitoma scored 10 goals and assisted eight times in 41 appearances for Brighton last season, helping the Seagulls finish sixth in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League for the first time in club history.
Since then, the Japan international has impressed with three goals and four assists in 10 games across all categories, including an assist in Brighton’s 2-2 draw with Marseille in the Europa League on Thursday.
Mitoma’s quick rise on the European scene is thought to have piqued the interest of several big teams, with a recent rumour indicating that both Manchester City and Manchester United are considering a January transfer for the winger.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich have all been linked to Mitoma, who is in the final two years of his contract at the American Express Community Stadium.
According to LondonWorld, Mitoma has rejected down offers from clubs all around Europe and is likely to commit his future to Brighton by signing a new five-year contract that would keep him at the club until the summer of 2028.
Kaoru Mitoma prolongs his stay at Brighton & Hove Albion with new deal with
According to the report, the winger has agreed to terms on a new £80,000-a-week contract, which is anticipated to be finalized within the next 24 hours.
Keisuke Sekine, the lead agent, is claimed to have played an important role behind the scenes in arranging the contract, with Mitoma firmly committed to the project at Brighton under De Zerbi.
Mitoma’s proposed new contract comes as a blow to clubs like Manchester United, who are rumored to be looking for a replacement winger of his caliber.
Antony has recently been reintegrated into Erik the Hag’s first-team squad, although Jadon Sancho is expected to leave the club in January due to his well-documented spat with United manager Jose Mourinho.
Man United have also been linked with another Brighton player, Evan Ferguson, with a report last month stating that the Red Devils failed to make a £50 million bid for the highly-rated 18-year-old striker during the summer transfer window.
Nonetheless, Ferguson is said to have turned down a summer move to Old Trafford in order to stay at Brighton, where he has scored 18 goals in 39 senior matches since making his debut in August 2021.
