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Brighton take action after Arsenal become latest side to eye one of De Zerbi's stars
Brighton have stepped in and made their intentions clear.
Klopp gives update on Liverpool's pursuit of Brighton's Caicedo
Brighton are working to tie down Kaoru Mitoma to a new long-term contract to help ward off his many admirers. Bayern Munich are said to be keen on acquiring the player's services while Arsenal are also eyeing up a move.
But according to talkSPORT, the Japan international is close to putting pen to paper on a fresh deal at the Amex Stadium. Keeping Mitoma will be a big boost for the south coast club, who have already sold Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool this summer.
Moises Caicedo looks set to be the next key player on his way out of the door after Brighton accepted Chelsea's £115million bid for the 21-year-old. Liverpool had initially led the race with a £111m proposal.
However, Caicedo informed the Reds that he was only interested in joining Chelsea and so wasn't willing to enter into discussions with the Merseyside club. Caicedo agreed personal terms with the Blues back in May and is keen to keep his word.
Speaking ahead of Brighton's 4-1 victory over Luton Town on Saturday, Roberto De Zerbi claimed he had already forgotten about Caicedo. "I've already forgotten Moises," he said.
"I am really proud for the players we have in the squad. We want to keep improving. The credit goes to the club. Bigger clubs can buy players but they can't buy our soul and our spirit."
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He then added: "We don't have enough yet, we need to complete the squad. I want players who want to come here. We are Brighton, we achieved a big target last year - the same as Liverpool, better than Chelsea. I would like players who are proud to play in Brighton."
Meanwhile, he gave a very different answer when asked about Mitoma's future earlier this year. "He has to stay here for another year, both for his sake and for ours," De Zerbi told assembled media.