Transfer rumours: Kudus to Brighton, Sutalo to Forest, Maitland-Niles to Lyon

The 23-year-old's future has been the subject of much debate over the past few months amid claims that several top sides have been after his signature.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all believed to have been keeping tabs on Kudus's future, but he only has two years left to run on his Ajax contract.

However, The Athletic reports that Brighton have won the race to sign the Ghana international, having reached an agreement in principle with Ajax worth €40m (£34.6m).

The transfer will eclipse Brighton's current record signing, which was the £30m capture of Joao Pedro from Watford earlier this summer, and Kudus is close to agreeing personal terms with the Seagulls.

The attacker has amassed 23 goals and 11 assists in 84 matches for Ajax, but he has rejected the chance to extend his deal and is thought to be pining for a move elsewhere.

Over at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest are apparently prepared to do battle with Arsenal for the signature of Dinamo Zagreb centre-back Josip Sutalo.

Tricky Trees boss Steve Cooper is keen to bolster his backline this summer, and Forest were initially believed to be working on a deal for Roma's Roger Ibanez.

However, Forest may now miss out on the 24-year-old, who is now expected to agree a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, and The Express claims that Sutalo has emerged as an ideal alternative.

The 23-year-old has established himself as a crucial player for Dinamo Zagreb over the past couple of seasons, winning three top-flight titles and producing six goals and four assists from 85 matches.

The report adds that Forest are now in dialogue with Dinamo Zagreb over a deal, but they may have to fend off interest from RB Leipzig, Ajax and West Ham United, while Arsenal have also been named as admirers.

Sutalo has made eight senior appearances for the Croatian national team - including their 2022 World Cup third-placed playoff win over Morocco - and he is not due to become a free agent until 2028.

Finally, ex-Arsenal man Ainsley Maitland-Niles is reportedly set to resume his career with Lyon after ending his 20-year association with the Gunners.

The 25-year-old - who had been on Arsenal's books since 2003 - fell down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta over the past couple of seasons and was allowed to leave in June when his contract expired.

Maitland-Niles spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan with Southampton following previous spells with West Bromwich Albion and Roma, but he was unable to prevent the Saints from dropping down to the Championship.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the five-cap England international is now on the brink of joining Lyon on a free transfer, and he has already agreed a four-year deal with Les Gones.

Maitland-Niles will reunite with former Gunners teammate Alexandre Lacazette at Lyon, as well as Jeff Reine-Adelaide, another ex-Arsenal youth product who has represented the French club for the past four years.

The versatile midfielder also played as a full-back and wing-back during his time at Arsenal, making 132 appearances and winning three FA Cups in North London.