Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly admitted defeat in their bid to sign Sunderland forward Tommy Watson.
The Seagulls started deadline day by announcing the signing of Nuremberg full-back Stefanos Tzimas on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
Brighton confirmed that the Greece Under-21 international will rejoin the German club on loan until the end of the season before linking up with the Seagulls ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
The South Coast side were seemingly keen to conduct more deadline-day business, as they made a late effort to sign Sunderland's Watson before the transfer deadline.
© Imago
Brighton fail with late Watson swoop
However, according to Sky Sports News, the Seagulls have conceded defeat after they ran out of time to finalise a move.
The update claims that a deal was close to being agreed, with Watson travelling South to hold discussions over a potential move to the Amex Stadium.
However, the highly-rated talent is now set to remain a part of Regis Le Bris's squad until at least the end of the season.
The 18-year-old has demonstrated his goalscoring talent for Sunderland's Under-21s, netting five goals in five appearances in the opening stages of the Premier League 2 season.
Those performances ultimately helped him gain a place in the first-team set up, having gone on to score two goals in 10 Championship matches.
Although he is currently out injured, Watson will try to help Sunderland in their promotion bid when he eventually returns to full fitness.
