Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly identified Hoffenheim midfielder Christoph Baumgartner as a potential summer transfer target amid uncertainty over the future of Moises Caicedo.
Caicedo has been the subject of much speculation for several months and was heavily linked with a big-money move to Premier League title challengers Arsenal in January.
The Gunners are understood to have seen two bids worth £60m and £70m rejected by the Seagulls, who refused to part ways with the 21-year-old midway through the season.
Caicedo expressed his desire to leave Brighton shortly before the January transfer window slammed shut before putting pen to paper on a new long-term contract until the summer of 2027.
Despite committing his future to the Amex Stadium, Caicedo allegedly remains a target for Arsenal ahead of the 2023-24 season, while the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest.
With Caicedo's long-term future up in the air, The Sun reports that Brighton have expressed an interest in Austria international Baumgartner and are preparing to table a summer bid for the 23-year-old.
The report adds that the Seagulls have sent scouts to watch the Hoffenheim midfielder on numerous occasions this season and intend to move ahead of other clubs in the Premier League and Bundesliga in the race for his signature.
Baumgartner, who has been linked with both Man United and Liverpool in the past, has spent his entire senior career with Hoffenheim, recording 30 goals and 21 assists in 135 appearances since making his debut in 2019.
The versatile midfielder, who is comfortable occupying both defensive and attacking positions in the middle of the pitch, has contributed with seven goals and six assists in 30 Bundesliga matches for Hoffenheim so far this season.
However, Die Kraichgauer remain in danger of relegation from the German top flight this season, sitting just four points above the bottom three, and demotion to the second tier would likely see Baumgartner seek for a summer exit.
Baumgartner is understood to have a £26m release clause in his Hoffenheim contract that expires in the summer of 2025, but that clause would be halved should the German club suffer relegation this season.
The Seagulls are expected to have a busy summer transfer window and have already completed their first signing ahead of the new season after announcing last week that an agreement is in place to sign Watford forward Joao Pedro for a club-record fee.
Roberto De Zerbi's side are also understood to be closing in on the signing of 37-year-old midfielder James Milner, who will see his contract at Liverpool expire at the end of the season.
As for possible outgoings, Caicedo is not the only midfielder who could be on the move this summer as World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister is another who has attracted interest from a host of top European clubs.
The 23-year-old agent and father recently revealed that a summer departure from the Amex is likely, with Man United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea among the clubs said to be keeping tabs on his situation.
Brighton remain in a strong position to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history as they currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, just two points behind sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand. body check tags ::
