Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes the club are "ready to go forward without" Moises Caicedo following interest from Arsenal.
Caicedo has been strongly linked with a move away from the Amex Stadium all month, but reports of interest intensified this week.
Arsenal were rumoured to have had a bid worth £60million rejected by Brighton, which seemed to prompt Caicedo to publicly declare his desire to leave.
In a statement posted to social media on Friday, the Ecuador international spoke of wanting to make the most of a "magnificent opportunity".
While he did not specifically name Arsenal, the Gunners – who signed Leandro Trossard from the Seagulls in this window – are said to have since upped their offer to roughly £70m.
Brighton have told Caicedo to stay away from the first team while his future is unresolved, hence his absence from Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool, but De Zerbi is apparently content for a sale to go through.
"Caicedo is a very, very good guy," the told reporters after the game. "I can understand because when you are 21 and you have a request from a big team, they are playing in Europe.
"I would like him to finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him – I think we need some players in some positions.
"I spoke a lot with [Brighton chairman] Tony [Bloom], he knows very well my opinion. We are a good team, but we can improve from the transfer window.
"We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo, it can be a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe."
Caicedo's statement of intent to leave caught fans by surprise, and De Zerbi earlier described it as a "mistake".
But the Brighton coach also sympathised with the 21-year-old, convinced those advising him were behind it rather than Caicedo unilaterally deciding to publish the comments.
"I was surprised, but I can understand where the mistake started," De Zerbi added.
"I don't know if you understand, but Moises is a good guy. I think [he was influenced by someone else]."
Balogun would be 'great addition' for USMNT, 'but his heart needs to be in it'
Folarin Balogun would be a "great addition" to the United States team, but Arsenal's Matt Turner only wants the striker to make the switch if it "comes from the heart".
Arsenal forward Balogun has excelled on loan with Reims this season, scoring 17 goals in 27 Ligue 1 appearances – behind only Jonathan David and Kylian Mbappe (both 19).
The 21-year-old's excellent form has prompted talk of a tussle for his international allegiance, with the New York-born star eligible to represent England, the United States and Nigeria.
Balogun has been a mainstay in the England Under-21 set-up, but he withdrew from the squad for this month's internationals due to injury.
That development has led to fresh hope Balogun will pledge himself to the USMNT, and Turner confirmed he had spoken to his Gunners team-mate on the matter.
"I spoke to Flo. We obviously had most of our preseason together, and I knew going into it he had some roots in the USA," the goalkeeper said on Wednesday.
"So, he and I developed a relationship pretty quickly. That's pretty much the extent of it. We check in on each other here and there.
"He'd be a great addition to our national team. I think he's done really well, obviously, for his club on loan, and we'll see.
"The decision has to come from the heart, because it's not necessarily an easy task to come and play in these CONCACAF games. It's a tough region at times.
"So, for us, we'd be really grateful to have him, but his heart needs to be in it."
Earlier in the week, Balogun told Sky Sports he was yet to decide on his future but has aspirations of playing at the highest level.
"My international future is not decided yet in terms of who I'll play for," he said. "But of course I want to play international football at the highest level, in the World Cups, and I want to compete at the highest level.
"I want to put myself in positions where I'm performing in front of millions of people."
Reiten gives Chelsea edge over defending champions Lyon
Guro Reiten secured Chelsea the advantage in their quarter-final against defending champions Lyon in the Women's Champions League.
The Norwegian curled home after 28 minutes in France to hand the Blues a 1-0 lead ahead of the reverse fixture in London.
Lyon were guilty of missing a number of opportunities in the first half, although Lauren James could have added a second for Chelsea when she hit the post.
Delphine Cascarino similarly struck the woodwork for Lyon after half-time, with the eight-time champions now needing a turnaround in the second leg if their title defence is to continue.
Retegui earns Batistuta comparison from Italy coach Mancini
Argentina-born Italy striker Mateo Retegui reminds Roberto Mancini of the Albiceleste's Serie A great Gabriel Batistuta.
Retegui has been handed a first Italy call-up for this month's Euro 2024 qualifiers, starting at home to England on Thursday.
The Tigre striker, who was born and raised in Argentina, where he has also spent his entire club career, qualifies for the Azzurri through his grandfather.
Strikers travelling between Argentina and Italy is not a new phenomenon, but Retegui is heading for the Italy camp, rather than a Serie A club.
"Coming like this from Argentina to Italy, not in a club team, is not so simple," coach Mancini said on the eve of the England game.
"It takes some time, but the guy is polite and smart. He is a good striker, young, we have great confidence and we have to give him some time."
Retegui has scored 28 goals in 48 Argentine Primera Division games for Tigre.
While Mancini noted comparisons with former Napoli striker German Denis, he preferred to draw parallels with the great Batistuta.
Batistuta joined Fiorentina from Boca Juniors in 1991 and was a great success both with the Viola and with Roma.
"[Retegui] is a classic striker, I see that many compare him to Denis," Mancini said. "I remember when Batistuta arrived in Italy, he reminds me of him.
"Clearly, he is a young guy and needs time and to grow. But I don't think it will take long to settle in."
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