Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter has confirmed that a deal to sign Adam Webster, reportedly worth £22m, is "close" to being completed after the Premier League club had a bid accepted early on Friday.
Webster is believed to have travelled to the south coast to undergo a medical at the Amex Stadium and discuss personal terms after Brighton and Bristol City came to an agreement for the defender.
There was some consideration that the 24-year-old would be present for Brighton's 2-1 friendly victory over Valencia at the Amex on Friday night but there was no sign of the centre-back.
Speaking after the win over the La Liga side, Potter said: “I believe it is close. Nothing finalised or anything but I believe it is close.”
The exact details of the financials are yet to be confirmed but there have been reports Brighton are paying £18m up front with a further £4m in performance-related add-ons.
It will, however, become a record signing for the Seagulls, eclipsing the £18m they paid Genk for Leondro Trossard in June and the most money City have ever sold a player for.
With City taking on Leeds in their opening fixture to the new Championship season on Sunday, it is highly unlikely to see Webster involved against Marcelo Bielsa's side.
The presence of that game may also see negotiations accelerate with City wanting a deal signed off in order to remove any uncertainty affecting pre-match preparation while also concentrate on signing reinforcements of their own.
The club's other major sale of the summer was also announced on a Saturday as Lloyd Kelly swapped Ashton Gate for Premier League Bournemouth on May 18 in a deal potentially worth £21m to City.
Robins head coach Lee Johnson will now access his centre-back options for Sunday's curtain-raiser with either Nathan Baker or Bailey Wright likely to partner record signing Tomas Kalas.
Both defenders were nursing small knocks earlier in the week but Wright declared himself fit on Tuesday and Johnson was also confident Baker would return to training.
