Attacking Football
·17 March 2024
Attacking Football
·17 March 2024
Brighton are renowned for their recruitment when it comes to South American talent, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Valentin Barco was the latest young wonderkid the club decided to bring in, after they had already signed the likes of Julio Enciso and Moises Caicedo in the last number of years.
Diego Gomez recently signed for Inter Miami from Paraguayan club Libertad, and has made five appearances in the MLS so far this season, scoring once and delivering one assist, which happened to be for a certain Lionel Messi. Gomez has also featured seven times for his country, Paraguay, but has yet to open his scoring account as of yet.
We understand Brighton are one of several clubs across Europe scouting Diego Gomez as the player prepares to move to a European club in the coming months. We understand a move to Europe this summer is the most likely avenue for the player to go down, which will be just over a year after his move to Miami.
Inter Miami, owned by former Manchester United winger David Beckham, paid just €2.7 million for the player back in July. The fee isn’t the biggest one in the history of the club from Paraguay, however, with Brighton paying around £9.5 million for Enciso back in June of 2022.
The American side is currently at the top of the Eastern Conference League in the MLS, winning three of their opening games. Gomez has started four out of five of those games. The player’s contract expires in June 2026, so it’s likely going to take more than the €2.7 million Miami paid to take him away this summer.
Brighton’s recruitment policy for South American players is due to their moneyball system, where they shop in different markets to try and find the most undervalued players in the game. It’s a policy that allows them to fight on an equal playing field with the likes of Manchester City, and has resulted in them landing big players like Moises Caicedo and Alexis MacAllister from clubs like Independiente and Argentinos Juniors.
Miami got to Libertad before Brighton did, but that was unlikely to ever deter the Seagulls from trying to sign the player. They have, however, yet to make any sort of offer, and they are not the only club in the hunt, with several around Europe all keeping a watchful eye over the 20-year-old.
His agent, Renato Bittar recently revealed there is no price on his client heading into the summer window and admitted it would be a surprise if he stayed in the MLS this summer.
“There is no clause. He is not a player to stay in Miami for a long time…. It will not be a surprise if we have an offer in the European summer and it can leave. The club is not going to put a price on him.” Renato Bittar
Gomez is described as a box-to-box midfielder, and recently captained Paraguay’s U23 side in the 2024 Conmebol Pre-Olympic tournament, scoring five goals and finishing as the joint top scorer. During his time at Libertad, he also made one appearance on the right midfield, showcasing his versatility. Gomez has captained Paraguay’s U23 side in the past.
The midfielder will be a name to watch in the summer transfer window. There is no set fee as of yet, but it’s unlikely that he will reach the current record transfer sale of €24 million that Miguel Almiron currently holds for his sale to Newcastle. It may be closer to Jhon Duran’s €16 million sale to Aston Villa.