Brighton close to sealing Msakni loan deal

Brighton are in the advanced stages of sealing a loan move for Al-Duhail forward Youssef Msakni until the end of the season, Goal has learned.

Msakni had been out with a cruciate ligament injury that saw him miss the World Cup with Tunisia until recently, but now appears set to swap the Arabian Peninsula for the south coast of England having returned to full fitness.

Reports in Qatar had been linking the 28-year-old with a Premier League of late, with Cardiff City and Watford both mentioned, but Goal can confirm that, all going well, the Amex Stadium will be his next destination.

Operating mostly as a left winger but also no stranger to playing in attacking midfield or as a second striker, Msakni has racked up an impressive 69 goals in 103 Qatar Stars League appearances with his current side.

Capped 51 times for Tunisia with 14 goals, the attacker has gone largely unnoticed in Europe in recent years, but had turned French heads as early as 2012 for his performances with Esperance Tunis; Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, Monaco and Lorient were all said to have had an interest.

Indeed, Goal named Msakni as the 48th best footballer in the world in the 2012 off the back of his exploits in his home country.

A move to Qatari side Lekhwiya (now named Al-Duhail) followed, however, for €11.5 million - a then record fee for an African player – and it was not long before links to the Premier League followed, with Newcastle, Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham all reportedly interested at the time.

After four years in Qatar, however, Msakni finally looks set to experience life in one of Europe's top leagues with Brighton, currently 13th in the Premier League, who will be looking to their new acquisition for goals in their attempts to avoid relegation from England's top flight.