BRIGHTON CEO Paul Barber has hinted striker Evan Ferguson could leave the club despite recently signing a new deal.
The Ireland star, 19, broke through as a Premier League regular last season and already has 15 goals in 43 games for the South Coast side.
His impressive start to the campaign has seen him linked with a £100million move to the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham.
But hopes of luring him away from the Seagulls were dashed earlier this month when he signed a new six-year deal to keep him under contract until 2029.
However, Brighton chief exec Barber has refused to rule out him moving elsewhere.
Speaking to Soccerex TV, he said: "When we can put them into long contracts to give them security, give us security, but very importantly, with young players, also to help them keep learning.
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"At some point in the future, Evan's gonna be playing at an even higher level if his trajectory continues as it is.
"We want to make sure that we do everything we can to prepare him for that. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, give him as much support as we can."
Barber was then pressed on what the club can do to keep players like Ferguson at the Amex.
To which he replied: "I think, as I said before, that the higher level we can play at, the more chance we've got of keeping our top players for longer.
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"It doesn't mean to say that we can keep them forever, because players will have their own ambitions of the club they want to play for, and the league they want to play in, and the competitions they want to perform in. And we have to be respectful of that.
"And I believe that, and Tony Bloom [Brighton chairman] believes, that if we can actually show players clear pathways, not just through our club but also beyond our club, that will actually help us attract other younger players in the future to our club as well.
"Which is a good thing because that keeps our model moving. It keeps our cycle progressing and hopefully it keeps us successful as well."
Ferguson joined Brighton from Bohemians in 2021 after making his debut for the Irish side aged just 14 in a friendly against Chelsea.
Five years on, he has already scored three goals in eight senior caps for Ireland and is Brighton's top scorer in the league this term.
Roberto De Zerbi's men sit eighth in the Premier League table and second in their Europa League group.
They return from the international break with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, before travelling to AEK Athens on November 30.
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