Originally Posted by
LeedsFTW
It is implied, but if he hands in a transfer request it becomes fact. He would lose any loyalty bonus etc, however Brighton would then officially have a disgruntled player on their hands. This would normally weaken a clubs bargaining position, as who really wants to keep a player that is publically looking for a transfer whilst running their contract down and perhaps not being committed?
The bidding clubs being well aware of how this plays out will continue to keep offers low, which in theory means a bidding war would not really happen. Brighton would be in danger of missing out on a good transfer fee, so most likely would accept a genuine and fairly priced offer.
Happens to us all the time, Taylor, Wood, Byram, Beckford, Howson, Snodgrass etc etc.