Fresh Jeremy Sarmiento, Brighton update emerges as Middlesbrough plot move | OneFootball

The Ecuadorian could be on the move after spending the first half of the season in Italy

A fresh update has emerged regarding the potential immediate future of Brighton and Hove Albion playmaker Jeremy Sarmiento, with Middlesbrough interested in a deal for the Ecuadorian who is currently on loan at Serie A outfit, Cremonese.

According to Elliot Cook and Luca Bendoni of Sky Sports - via the publication's Transfer Centre blog (19:44 / 12:01), the Seagulls are considering a recall for the 23-year-old from the Stadio Giovanni Zini ahead of a potential move into the Championship for the third time since his arrival at the AMEX Stadium as a youngster.

The current transfer window is Kim Hellberg's first in charge of the Teesside outfit, who are currently second in the second tier ahead of a trip to one of Sarmiento's former loan clubs, West Bromwich Albion, at The Hawthorns on Friday night in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

It is shaping up to be a critical window for the North East club, though, as they continue to harbour ambitions of a return to the Premier League for the first time in nine years, having previously fallen short on two occasions in the play-offs.

In the lead-up to the window, the vast majority of transfer discourse surrounding the Riverside Stadium focused on whether Hellberg will be able to retain the services of in-demand England Under-21 international midfielder, Hayden Hackney, who was heavily linked to a large host of Premier League sides in the summer window, before they failed to dissipate across the first half of the season under Rob Edwards and Hellberg.

The 37-year-old has already made a statement addition in the current window, with the first acquisition of his tenure seeing Middlesbrough secure the services of Leo Castledine from Chelsea, with the highly-rated prospect previously scoring 12 times in 27 appearances on loan at Huddersfield Town in League One.

And it is apparent that whilst the Reds reminded everybody of their goalscoring and creative spark with a 4-0 rout against Southampton at the Riverside on January 4th, Hellberg is still hoping for further reinforcements in said departments, which could be provided through a loan move for the aforementioned Sarmiento.

It had been widely reported last week that Sarmiento had emerged on Hellberg's shortlist of potential attacking options at the start of the window.

The first of those came from local publication, the Northern Echo, with the Reds currently able to use the likes of Castledine, Morgan Whittaker, Alex Gilbert, Sverre Nypan, Sam Silvera and Micah Hamilton as creative options behind the likes of Tommy Conway, David Strelec and Kaly Sene.

Despite being just 23 years of age, Sarmiento has become somewhat of a household name in the Championship in the past few seasons, even though he has remained permanently contracted to Brighton throughout said timeframe after his initial move to the Sussex club from Charlton Athletic.

Indeed, the Madrid-born Ecuadorian spent the first half of the 2023/24 season on loan with West Brom under Carlos Corberan, where he registered just two goals in 21 appearances for the Baggies before moving onto Ipswich Town under Kieran McKenna.

In truth, his short stint at Portman Road was an extremely memorable one, with his last-minute winner against Southampton in April 2024 proving to be a crucial moment in the Tractor Boys' back-to-back promotion success, scoring four times and providing a further two assists in 22 appearances for the Blues.

Sarmiento then recorded his second Championship promotion at the end of last season with Burnley, before moving onto Serie A newcomers, Cremonese, for the current campaign.

However, it is clear that a move to Italy hasn't worked for the playmaker, having featured just seven times, with his last appearance coming against Pisa on November 7th, playing 13 minutes in the 1-0 defeat.

It has now been claimed that Fabian Hurzeler's men are now considering a recall with clubs in the Championship now on red alert, although such a decision will only be made if the Seagulls acknowledge wide and sufficient interest in the 24-time international.

Jeremy Sarmiento arrival could pave the way for Delano Burgzorg exit amid Bristol City, Middlesbrough transfer links

A potential arrival for Sarmiento would add strong quality and Championship experience in the short-term, as well as potentially paving the way for Delano Burgzorg's departure amid links to Bristol City.

Robins boss Gerhard Struber recently confirmed that the West Country club have held talks with the Dutchman over a potential switch to Ashton Gate, which would see him link up with current Boro loanee, Neto Borges.

However, the added vision, as well as the versatility which Sarmiento holds, could be one of several key differences for Hellberg if Middlesbrough are to hold off the likes of Ipswich in the promotion race.