Manchester City leading race to sign Premier League star who is set to cost over £120 million - Reports

Despite having assembled a star-studded team with sufficient depth, Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a mega-money swoop for Brighton & Hove Albion wunderkind Evan Ferguson.

The 18-year-old striker, previously scouted by Tottenham Hotspur, finds himself on Pep Guardiola's radar after a thunderous start to the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Ferguson had a breakout season with the Seagulls last term, finally getting some regular first-team action after impressing with the youth team. The Irish forward capitalized on the chance handed to him by manager Roberto De Zerbi, netting 10 goals and providing three assists in 25 appearances across all competitions with the senior squad.

The youngster has carried over his purple patch to this season, scoring four goals in four Premier League appearances so far. He even grabbed a hat-trick against a resurgent Newcastle United side, leading Brighton to a famous victory against the Magpies at the AMEX Stadium.

Consequently, Ferguson has caught the eye of multiple suitors in need of a promising goalscorer, with Manchester City leading the pack.

According to the Independent, the Sky Blues are currently in pole position to start negotiations with the 18-year-old star. Nevertheless, the signing is only expected to materialize should Manchester City let go of their talisman Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian prodigy has successfully established himself as an integral member of Pep Guardiola's all-conquering City side and has a contract that will see him stay at the Etihad Stadium until 2027.

Nevertheless, the Cityzens have already identified Haaland's successor in case of a premature departure. Ferguson, who was previously targeted by Tottenham as a potential replacement for Harry Kane, is supposedly valued at a whopping £120m by his parent club Brighton (via GOAL).

The inflated price tag comes after Moises Caicedo's sale to Chelsea for a British-record transfer fee of £115m.

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Manchester City have made a perfect start to the ongoing Premier League season

With four wins in four games so far, the Sky Blues are the only English team to maintain a perfect record in the league. Guardiola's men have netted a total of 11 goals in the said matches while only conceding two on their way to picking up 12 points.

As expected, Haaland is once again the leading goal scorer for Manchester City, grabbing six strikes in the league, including a hat-trick against Fulham. Interestingly, the only team to record more goals than City in the ongoing domestic season is Evan Ferguson's Brighton, who have netted 12 times in four games.