Brighton & Wolves transfer stance on Alex Scott revealed as ‘valuation’ update emerges

Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Alex Scott for the time being because of Bristol City's asking price.

Scott's been linked with a departure from Ashton Gate for the last 18 months, but as of yet no club have made an offer for the 19-year-old, with only initial interest from several Premier League clubs. Nigel Pearson said last week he was confident Scott would be starting the 2023/24 campaign with the Robins, and now it seems we can rule one team out of the race to sign the teenager, unless their stance changes later in the window.

Brighton sold Alexis Mac Allister this summer, and could also part ways with Moises Caicedo who was attracting interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, and that would make for a big windfall for the Seagulls. The Sussex club are in the Europa League, and would need some reinforcements, and last month Scott was linked with a move to the AMEX Stadium, but now they are said to be put off by the current valuation of £25m set by City.

talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook said: "#BHAFC also not in running for Alex Scott at current valuation nor Scott McTominay."

The publicised valuation of £25m is just a starting point, with owner Steve Lansdown saying £25m has been is what has been quoted, but he would expect that to rise should teams enter a bidding war. At the moment no bids have been made, but clubs are exiting the race to sign him, rather than joining it with Liverpool not expected to sign him either.

One potential destination is Wolves, but they may not be able to afford Scott, after enduring difficulties with Financial Fair Play. The Midlands club have had to sell Ruben Neves, Connor Coady and Nathan Collins to keep in within the boundaries, and could soon part ways with Max Kilman, who is reportedly subject of an offer from Napoli, with Spurs holding an interest. The sale of Kilman would allow Julen Lopetgui to reinvest that into the squad, but Scott will command a sizeable fee, and it may be better to invest it in several players rather than lump it on one player.

Adding more context to Wolves pursuit, Crook was asked if Wolves' interest in Scott was genuine, and he responded: "Historically yes but dont think they can fund it either."

Bristol City are well within their rights to rate Scott at £25m given the potential he has, with Nigel Pearson stating Scott would one day play for England, which was based on the first time he saw him play and train. The player dubbed 'the Guernsey Grealish' has fans in Jack Grealish and Pep Guardiola following their FA Cup meeting, and there is no doubt he will one day play in the Premier League, but he hopes that will be with the club that gave him an opportunity in professional football.

Scott is under contract until the summer of 2025, and there is a desire from the Bristol City board to extend his contract, but as of yet nothing has been made public, since City's owner announced his intention to tie him down for a few more years. First-team manager Nigel Pearson is of the belief that delivering success on the pitch would allow them to keep their better players, and there's a genuine feeling within the camp that the 2023/24 campaign could be one in which they are serious play-off contenders.