Every move in Chelsea's wild obsession with Brighton as shock Facundo Buonanotte deal nears
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.
Credit: Getty Images/Imago
Jack Heath
Fri 29 August 2025 18:00, UK
Chelsea and Brighton have engaged in numerous transfer dealings in recent history and Facundo Buonanotte is now edging closer to becoming the latest Seagull to head to Stamford Bridge.
During this summer transfer window, Chelsea already signed Joao Pedro from Brighton to add to their long-list of interactions with the south coast club.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s takeover at Stamford Bridge seems to have collided with an over-arching obsession over the Seagulls as he looks to consistently nab their brightest stars.
As reported by The Athletic (29 August) they are now “closing in” on a surprise agreement for Argentine winger Buonanotte on a season-long loan after Chelsea missed out on Xavi Simons.
The 20-year-old spent last season on-loan at relegated Leicester, and is in line to become another player to leave the Amex Stadium for the hustle and bustle of London as Football Insider looks at Chelsea‘s love affair with Brighton.
Photo Credit: Imago
Since buying the club in May 2022 for £4.25billion [Sky Sports], the American co-owners has been hell-bent on buying all of the Seagulls’ prodigies.
In August 2022, the Blues swooped in to sign Spanish left-back Marc Cucurella in excess of £60million [BBC Sport], opening the business relationship that would span many seasons.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Just a month later, now England boss Thomas Tuchel was sacked by the new ownership and replaced by, you guessed it, the Brighton manager of the time Graham Potter.
Credit: Imago
The Blues brought over, not only the Englishman, but also five of his backroom staff as the Seagulls made a swift migration to Stamford Bridge.
Paul Winstanley would also become the new sporting director, adding another crucial component of Tony Bloom’s football factory to the Boehly project.
Ultimately, things did not pan out for Potter and his coaching team although Winstanley still remains as one of the west London side’s sporting directors.
A year later, Boehly and Behdad Eghbali wanted to dig even more into the Brighton mines to unearth more lucrative gems as he outbid Liverpool for Ecuador international Moises Caicedo.
View this post on Instagram
View Instagram Post
Until Florian Wirtz joined the Reds this summer, the South American’s signing of £115m became the British record transfer fee [TNT Sports], stunning the Premier League and the world.
Despite breaking the bank for the midfield maestro, the American co-owner would rummage around the Amex yet again, sealing a £25m deal for back-up Amex goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
The Spaniard has so far endured a turbulent career at the Bridge but Enzo Maresca seems to have full faith that his shot stopper will come good.
In February 2024, Sam Jewell then assumed a critical role at Chelsea, leading the club’s global scouting network, swapping Brighton for the Blues.
Credit: Getty Images
His arrival saw him become the eighth member of personnel to complete the move from the south coast, extending the ever-growing connections between the two clubs.
Following this, Maresca’s club stole Brazilian hotshot Pedro out from under Newcastle’s noses mid-way through the Club World Cup, becoming the sixth player to join the London giants, equating to roughly £257m on Brighton players over the last three years.
He would prove to be an instant success, netting three times across the semi-final and final as Chelsea lifted their second trophy of the Boehly-Clearlake era.
This could have been even more had Julio Enciso not seemingly run into issues with his medical [Fabrizio Romano], when the Paraguayan was seemingly on course to become the first Amex departure to be signed by parent company BlueCo with the plan to send him to sister-club Strasbourg before longer-term Chelsea aspirations, which would have added to the ludicrous amount of exchanges between the two clubs.
Buonanotte is arguably the most surprising of all the targets, and suggests the appetite to continue the pipeline is not slowing down at all.