La Liga side Atletico Madrid have joined the race to sign Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey alongside Bayern Munich and Sevilla, according to the Daily Mail.
The 5ft 5in flyer, who turned 20 in September, has only played 15 times in all competitions for the Seagulls since signing a three-and-a-half year deal after signing from Chelsea in January.
But Lamptey has impressed consistently and has already nailed down the right wing-back slot at the Amex ahead of former Ajax defender Joel Veltman.
And Brighton are keen to extend his current contract in light of the recent European interest, with the Sun reporting an upgrade on his £14,000-a-week terms is imminent.
Defender showing statistical quality
Although Chelsea were willing to let him go given the strength in depth offered by Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta, the bold defender has stood out for Brighton, with his bravery, directness and precision endearing him to fans and pundits.
As well as winning two penalties, assisting one, and scoring his first goal in Brighton’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, Lamptey has also excelled from a statistical standpoint.
The latest figures demonstrate he has made the most dribbles per game for a full-back with 4.82 and is the most-fouled defender in the league, with 3.28 every 90 minutes.
Moreover, Lamptey boasts the second-highest crossing accuracy with 46.15% and the third-most defensive duels won, with 4.6 per game.
Tariq Lamptey offers England competition
Despite interest from Ghana in representing the West African side internationally, Lamptey made his England Under-21 debut in September.
Chelsea’s James, Norwich’s Max Aarons, Leicester’s James Justin and Fulham’s Steven Sessegnon all provide right-sided options in Aidy Boothroyd’s squad.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Aaron Wan-Bissaka providing further options for the senior team, England are well stacked in that position for the long term.
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