Brighton continue to show an interest in signing Barcelona prospect Monchu, although they face some stern competition in the race for his signature.

The Sunday Mirror reported [via Sussex Live] that the Seagulls are joined by West Ham and Juventus in their pursuit of the 20-year-old, with the La Liga trio of Real Sociedad, Valencia and Real Betis also though to be interested.

According to Sussex Live, the Serie A champions have already had a bid of £18m plus add-ons rejected by the Camp Nou club, who would be open to a loan move for him on the basis that the club taking him would pay his wages in full and agree to having an option to buy him for £36m when the loan deal expires.

Monchu, who according to The Sunday Mirror [via Sussex Live] has drawn comparisons with ex-Barcelona legend Xavi for his playing style, made his competitive debut for the Catalan club with a late substitute appearance in their Champions League win over Napoli on Saturday night. He had also been on the bench for several of their post-lockdown La Liga matches.

He scored 10 goals in 29 games for Barcelona's B team as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the second tier of the Spanish football pyramid, losing in the play-off final to Sabadell.

It is an indication of how highly he is rated at Camp Nou that the club want to tie him down to a new four-year contract, although his lack of first team opportunities has reportedly prompted him to seek a move elsewhere. [via Sussex Live]

A central midfielder with an eye for goal, as well as being capable of playing in a defensive midfield role, Monchu could give Brighton a greater scoring threat from the middle of the park if he were to end up at the Amex Stadium - the Seagulls' central midfield quartet of Aaron Mooy, Davy Propper, Yves Bissouma and Dale Stephens managed a paltry four goals between them last season.

Given his goal-scoring abilities and Barcelona's desire to keep him at the club, Monchu certainly seems like he would be quite a coup for Brighton if they can land him.

However, with the La Liga side insisting on some stringent loan clauses, including that £36m option to buy, the Seagulls' chances of signing him could be fanciful, particularly with Premier League clubs set to be hamstrung financially by the consequences of the global pandemic.

Also, with perennial Serie A champions Juventus lurking, the youngster could be tempted to the highly successful Turin outfit rather than taking the challenge of chasing Premier League survival at Brighton.

Brighton fans, how excited would you be if the Seagulls sign Monchu? Join in the discussion by commenting below!