Manchester City open negotiations for Brighton’s Diego Gomez – Elliot Anderson deal facing Manchester United threat | OneFootball

Manchester City have begun exploratory steps towards a potential move for Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez this summer, as per reports emerging from Paraguay.

The Blues are expected to progress their summer rebuild under director of football Hugo Viana in the summer, having bolstered Pep Guardiola’s ranks with the January acquisitions of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January.

City bid farewell to Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Scott Carson and James McAtee last summer, with Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish also leaving on season-long loans with a firm expectation of permanent exits at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Executives at the Etihad Stadium are also understood to be lining up a potent replacement for Pep Guardiola, who will be out of contract at Manchester City in 2027 and has been heavily linked by a potential departure at the end of the current season.

Why are Manchester City interested in Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez?

Gomez has garnered a lot of interest following his diligent performances at the Amex Stadium. The 22-year-old is becoming an increasingly significant player for Fabian Hürzeler due to his constant movement off the ball and ability to carry the ball forward quickly.

Brighton’s recruitment model has always prioritised signing young talents with high potential who can quickly adapt to the demands of the Premier League. Gomez fits that description.

Since moving to England, his blend of athleticism and positional awareness has piqued the interest of analysts, especially in systems that focus on aggressive pressing and quick midfield transitions.

Reports from South America indicate that Manchester City are among the clubs monitoring his development. Paraguayan journalist Erwin Velázquez has reported that scouts from the Etihad Stadium have attended Brighton games in recent weeks, assessing Gomez’s performances ahead of the summer transfer window, as relayed by Sport Witness.

Would Diego Gomez be a good fit under Pep Guardiola?

According to research from the International Centre for Sports Studies, Gomez currently ranks as the most dynamic midfielder in the Premier League based on movement metrics.

The study found he averages more than 44 explosive sprints for every 30 minutes of possession, a figure that places him ahead of high-profile names such as Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, Manchester City’s Tijjani Reijnders and Arsenal’s Declan Rice.

Those numbers show the attributes that have begun to attract interest from the top clubs. When Brighton have the ball, Gomez constantly attacks space, either by creating passing lanes or driving forward with the ball to break the opposition’s defensive lines. His ability to consistently perform at a high level of intensity has become a key part of his game.

Earlier reports from Paraguayan journalist Chris Pérez indicated that meetings were expected in March between Gomez’s representatives and one of the Premier League’s big six clubs. The latest update suggests that Manchester City could be the side involved in those preliminary discussions.

How advanced is Manchester City’s interest at this stage?

At this moment, such contact would probably highlight early-stage informal enquiries rather than formal negotiations. Clubs in the Premier League often begin conversations with their prospective targets about a possible transfer months before the transfer window opens.

This gives them time to think about how well a player fits into their system, the financial deal involved, and their overall squad planning. If the link grows stronger, the move will have a symbolic significance in Paraguay.

Ivan Alexis, a journalist in Paraguay, has highlighted that if Gomez were to join City, he would be the first Paraguayan player to work with Pep Guardiola. This has already gained a lot of attention in the country’s media. For now, Gomez is concentrating on his role at Brighton, striving to establish his reputation in English football.

His recent games, which included a fantastic goal in a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest last week, have only made people more intrigued by his rapid and constant improvement on the south coast.

Several factors will determine whether Manchester City’s interest in the player turns into a formal offer – Brighton’s asking price, the player’s potential for further advancement as well as City’s own midfield plans will all play a significant role.

Right now, the process seems to be in the monitoring stage but early signs point to Gomez’s performances putting him on the radar of one of Europe’s challenging tactical environments.