Exclusive: £18m deal collapses after Matt O’Riley injury news at Brighton

• EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey

Matt O’Riley suffered a disastrous start at Brighton after suffering an injury just minutes into his debut.

The 23-year-old arrived at the Amex Stadium this week as Brighton‘s ninth signing of the summer.

O’Riley joined Brighton from Celtic in a £30m deal and was thrown straight into action by young manager Fabian Hurzeler.

He was named in the starting lineup for Brighton’s League Cup clash against Crawley Town on Tuesday evening but left the pitch after just nine minutes following an injury to his ankle.

Matt O’Riley is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was revealed that he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle.

Matt O’Riley injury causes £18m deal to collapse

After O’Riley’s arrival, Brighton were open to letting Billy Gilmour leave.

Napoli have shown an interest in signing the 23-year-old and had been closing in on an £18million deal according to the Daily Mail.

However, TBR Football understands that Brighton have now informed Napoli that Gilmour will not be joining them this summer.

Gilmour started in the 2-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday, but talks were ongoing at the time for Napoli to sign the Scottish midfielder.

TBR understands that even before the weekend, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler informed the club’s hierarchy that he wanted Gilmour to stay as he was a good fit for his system.

However, Brighton were still considering letting him leave – right up until O’Riley’s injury on Tuesday evening.

Brighton pull plug on potential deal

With O’Riley now facing weeks and potentially even months out of action, Brighton expect that Gilmour will have a key part to play in midfield.

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Brighton chiefs have agreed to cancel the move just two days before the transfer window slams shut.

Napoli are still set to strengthen their midfield with the £25million signing of Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.