Chelsea have made a habit of signing players from Brighton & Hove Albion in recent years.
In the past three years, the Blues have spent large sums of money to acquire Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, and Robert Sanchez – with the trio costing a combined total of £225 million.
They even poached Brighton's manager, Graham Potter, in 2022.
Despite not all of those signings working out as planned, Chelsea are now reportedly eyeing two more Brighton stars.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea have made enquiries about Carlos Baleba and Georginio Rutter.
Baleba, 21, was signed by Brighton in 2023 as a replacement for Caicedo. Since then, he's established himself as one of the Premier League's most talented young midfielders, impressing with his dynamic and energetic performances in the middle of the park.
Rutter, on the other hand, joined Brighton in the summer for £40 million from Leeds United. He’s scored six goals in 23 appearances for the Seagulls across all competitions this season.
Phillips reports, however, that Chelsea’s enquiry about the pair has been firmly rejected by Brighton, who have no intention of selling two of their key players.
Chelsea's love affair with Brighton
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It’s easy to see why Chelsea seem to have a love affair with Brighton. After all, the Seagulls have been one of the most exciting and enjoyable teams to watch in the Premier League for the past four or five years.
However, their continuous attempts to raid Brighton for players and managers have proven to be unwise.
While Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella have been reasonable successes, there are strong arguments that Chelsea overpaid for them. Robert Sanchez, particularly this season, has been underwhelming, while the less said about Graham Potter’s time at Stamford Bridge, the better.
Baleba has been impressive, but if Brighton were to sell, they would undoubtedly demand a huge fee—possibly even in excess of the £115 million they sought for Caicedo.
As for Georginio Rutter, he has shown good link-up play but is otherwise a fairly average Premier League striker, and would likely cost more than the £40 million Brighton paid Leeds for him.
It’s probably a blessing in disguise for Chelsea that their enquiry has been turned down, because the Seagulls are unlikely to let their key players go without a steep price tag, and they often flatter to deceive anyway.
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