Albion have switched attention to other midfield targets following the last-gasp collapse of their club record move for Renato Neto.

The Argus website revealed on Saturday Neto's switch from Belgian club Gent fell through after the 25-year-old Brazilian failed his medical due to a knee problem.

The Seagulls have shrugged off their frustration at missing out on Neto, who they had tracked for nearly three years, and sympathy for the player to redirect their sights on an alternative.

They are confident their 'cluster' recruitment policy - players of similar quality heading the list for each position - will ensure it is not too much of a setback to the squad revamp under Chris Hughton for the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Albion could complete the signing this week of 21-year-old Norwegian midfielder Mathias Normann from Bodo/Glimt for the development squad as Hughton looks to build-up his senior players' fitness levels in a run of friendlies back in England.

The Seagulls visit Crawley, Southend and his former club Norwich in the space of eight days.

They go to Spain for their penultimate warm-up to face Girona, then host La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid at the Amex six days before the big kick-off against Manchester City.

Albion gradually warmed to their task as they launched their programme of friendlies with a 2-0 win against Fortuna Dusseldorf in Austria on Friday.

Hughton said: "We saw for periods in the first half a team that were a couple of weeks ahead of us.

"That's what we have got to look forward to in these coming weeks, going to games against Crawley and Southend, hopefully at a better physical level than we were."