We've reached the point in the summer transfer season where a club's targets are pretty well known. And try as they might, there are only so many ways the press can spin stories about Artem Dovbyk leaving, Paulo Dybala being contacted by Club X about a last-minute transfer, or even the latest saga du jour: Claudio Echeverri's showdown against Manchester City
.So, instead of microdosing on those stories, let's shift our focus to a completely new transfer target: Brighton midfielder Julio Enciso. To
be more specific, that's Julio César Enciso, a 21-year-old Paraguayan playmaker who split last season between Brighton and Ipswich Town. He might be destined to play in the Eternal City with a name like that, but the young attacking midfielder has more to offer than just an imperial middle name.
According to Italian sources, Gasperini has long admired Enciso and attempted to acquire him last January when he was with Atalanta. With a low center of gravity, an aggressive demeanor, and experience playing centrally, on the wing, and behind the striker, Enciso has drawn comparisons to another one of Gasperini's old flames, Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez, who was key to Atalanta's rise in the late 2010s.
Since joining Brighton as an 18-year-old in 2022, Enciso has faced struggles with both form and fitness, missing nearly the entire 2023-2024 season after injuring his meniscus. After returning to the pitch last fall, Brighton sent him to Ipswich Town last spring for more development. In 13 appearances (869 minutes), Enciso scored two goals and provided three assists, while averaging an impressive three shot-creating actions per 90 minutes and 0.41 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, the latter of which led the club.
Valued at €22 million, Enciso won't come cheap, but he's an intriguing prospect in his own right and may not be a bad consolation prize if Roma can't acquire Echeverri from City.
Stay tuned!
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