Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City, Sunderland and others have been dealt a potential blow in their pursuit of Brighton and Hove Albion striker Deniz Undav.

The clubs were first linked with a move for the 26-year-old last month, when we exclusively revealed on FLW that Rovers, the Sky Blues and the Black Cats, among other Championship sides, were interested in a loan deal for the 26-year-old.

Other reported interested clubs back then were Burnley, QPR, and Norwich City.

However, now, it has emerged that Brighton and Hove Albion, if they do let Undav go out on loan this window, would prefer him to join a club in a top-flight league.

Indeed, that is according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, who reports that Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is keen on Undav going out to the best possible level and is therefore waiting to see if any European clubs come in for him late in the window.

Undav previously played in the Belgian top flight where he tore it up for Royale Union Saint Gilloise in 2021/22, scoring 25 goals and registering 10 assists that season.

That form prompted Brighton to purchase him mid-season and loan him back to the club, but he has struggled for opportunities at the AMEX Stadium this season, making just 12 appearances so far this season.

The Verdict

It was no surprise that a talented goalscorer such as Undav was attracting plenty of Championship attention this month.

With some of the aforementioned teams capturing other targets, it remains to be seen whether or not Undav remains on their radar, but if he does, this latest update will be a blow.

I suppose you can understand it from Brighton's viewpoint, though.

Although, it could be argued that the Championship is more competitive and of a higher quality than some top flight leagues in Europe, depending on where, of course.

With no guarantee of European clubs coming in late, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out in the coming days.