Amario Cozier-Duberry has emerged as one of Brighton & Hove Albion’s most promising offensive prospects, but they may have given Middlesbrough a major transfer obstacle.

The winger has had a fantastic start to life on Teesside, flourishing under Kim Hellberg and providing Middlesbrough with an additional dimension in the last third. His long-term future is still unclear, though, as Brighton still has control over a player they obviously think has a lot of promise.

Middlesbrough may have to make a tough choice about how to keep Amario Cozier-Duberry’s services past the present season-long loan deal for the 2026–2027 Championship season if they are promoted to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough’s plans may be complicated by Brighton’s Amario Cozier-Duberry contract decision.

Cozier-Duberry’s presence has greatly benefited Middlesbrough; the former Arsenal academy prospect offers the speed, directness, and attacking quality through both dribbling and scoring necessary to succeed in Hellberg’s system. But if Borough wants to make the change permanent, there is a big problem.

Before going on loan to Middlesbrough, Cozier-Duberry signed a new contract that would last until June 2029, hence he is still a Brighton player. Even though his immediate growth is best served away from the Amex Stadium, the Seagulls plainly believe he has a future worth protecting, which makes that decision especially telling.

Importantly, Middlesbrough’s loan agreement does not contain a permanent option, thus any move to permanently secure his services would necessitate talks with Brighton. That may be expensive, especially if Borough gets promoted and has to pay Premier League teams to sign him.

As a result, Brighton has a lot of control over what happens next due to the contract situation, which could make it more difficult for Middlesbrough to expand on an already fruitful loan agreement. Behind the scenes, though, there is another fascinating Arsenal connection.

Jason Ayto, the sporting director, will be familiar with Cozier-Duberry from his time spent working in Arsenal’s recruitment department. He will play a major role in determining the future of players like Cozier-Duberry in the upcoming season.

With an executive who went the same club-to-club path as Cozier-Duberry potentially influencing his long-term future, that presents another challenge for Borough ahead of next summer.

Because of Cozier-Duberry’s development, Brighton must make a significant choice.

The career of Cozier-Duberry demonstrates how crucial the proper setting may be for young athletes. He slipped into League One with Bolton Wanderers last season and regained his confidence following a challenging loan stint in the second division with Blackburn Rovers.

Brighton realised that in order for him to score goals and provide assists, they needed a strong League One club. He created the performances there that were necessary to quicken his progress. Brighton later understood that he could advance with another well-chosen loan.

With Hellberg leading one of the Championship’s most possession-heavy sides and providing lots of chances for attacking players to flourish, Middlesbrough presented the perfect destination—a step up from the third division of English football.

For Cozier-Duberry and Brighton director Ayto, the summer of 2027 will consequently be crucial. The winger may join Brighton’s first team, go back to Borough on loan where he feels at ease, or relocate to another attacking team in the second division, possibly overseas this time.

Other teams will undoubtedly take notice of his outstanding performances, which might lead Brighton to think about a permanent sale rather than another short-term transfer. However, Borough can have different objectives when it comes to a Premier League budget.

Middlesbrough may have less alternatives in the summer of 2027 due to their recent transfer splurge.

The acquisitions of Will Lankshear, Ashley Phillips, and Radek Vitek have demonstrated the effectiveness of Middlesbrough’s recruitment plan, which was spearheaded by Kieran Scott and Steve Gibson.

Borough has been able to bolster their team by working with Premier League clubs to bring in outstanding young players without having to pay all of the big sums up front, but future spending may be impacted by the massive add-ons associated with those deals.

That strategy makes sense for a team aiming for promotion, but it might cut into the budget for the summer transfer window, especially if Middlesbrough has to make extra payments related to their current contracts.

Therefore, even if Borough are promoted from the Championship and make it to the Premier League, it might be challenging to secure Cozier-Duberry on a long-term basis. Brighton will have other choices to think about, but another loan might be a more practical solution.

Therefore, the winger may return to Teesside in 2027–2028 or find himself developing somewhere else entirely. However, until Cozier-Duberry has realised more of his huge potential and increased in value, a permanent deal is unlikely to be cheap or approved by Ayto.