Brighton had representatives present at Saturday’s match at the Renato Dall’Ara to monitor Monza forward Gustavo Varela, who holds both Portuguese and Cape Verdean nationality. The 21-year-old striker has scored nine goals in his first nine Serie A starts since moving from Benfica in July 2026. He was also being watched by other Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Brentford, and Fulham. RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid also had scouts in attendance for the game. Additionally, several Italian clubs like Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan are interested in Varela's progress, and it is understood that Arsenal is impressed by the forward. Varela has 7 caps and 4 goals for Portugal U21, is under contract with Monza until June 2030, and has a current Transfermarkt market value of €5.0M. His transfer from Benfica II to Monza was reportedly for a fee between €2.5 million and €3.5 million. In October 2026, reports in the Italian media valued the player at approximately €15 million. There were also conflicting stories about a potential Benfica buy-back clause valued between €9.5 million and €10 million.