BRIGHTON AND HOVE Albion’s chief executive has warned Evan Ferguson’s suitors that they are in no rush to sell the Republic of Ireland striker.

The 18-year-old has been the subject of much speculation since exploding into the new season with a goal in his 12-minute cameo against Luton Town on opening weekend.

Ferguson signed a new long-term deal in April which will keep him at the Amex until 2028, but Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs that have been publicly linked as they scout a potential replacement for Harry Kane.

With Brighton’s outstanding transfer policy back in the spotlight following Moises Caicedo’s British record transfer to Chelsea, the Meath youngster is now being touted as another potential big-money sale for the Seagulls.

But speaking on talkSPORT on Tuesday, Brighton CEO Paul Barber moved to dampen the speculation.

Asked by Ally McCoist about Ferguson, and at what point a potential player sale moves from being a footballing decision to a business decision, Barber laughed “in Evan’s case, at least five years’ time is the answer”.

He explained that “ultimately the technical staff are making the key decisions on where a player is in his development, whether he needs more first-team games or whether he needs to go out on loan, or whether we should be looking to trade earlier or later.

“Ultimately it’s going to be a collective decision but certainly it’s driven by the technical staff, and we’re relying on them to make those judgements in terms of the player’s development.”

Barber also stressed that manager Roberto de Zerbi and his backroom team make the “big calls” when it comes to the playing staff, and that he and club chairman Tony Bloom  ”only really get involved when it comes to the financial decisions and where we go next”.

“It’s a combined effort, it’s a team effort. It’s as much of a team off the pitch as it is on it, and Tony and I both strongly believe in that, that we have to work collaboratively and collectively.”