Record deal: Super Eagles invitee set to become 6th Nigerian to join Brighton

Super Eagles invitee Zadok Yohanna is on the verge of becoming the latest Nigerian footballer to join Brighton & Hove Albion after the Premier League club entered advanced negotiations with Swedish side AIK over a summer transfer, Afrik-Foot reports.

Reports in the United Kingdom suggest Brighton are willing to meet AIK’s asking price of around €22 million for the highly-rated winger, who has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Swedish football this season.

The 18-year-old was originally named in Nigeria’s squad for the Unity Cup tournament in London last month. However, AIK chose not to release him to the Nigeria Football Federation as he continued his recovery from an injury.

Despite missing the tournament which Nigeria won with wins over Zimbabwe and Jamaica, Yohanna’s reputation has continued to grow across Europe. The teenager has enjoyed an impressive breakthrough campaign in the Swedish Allsvenskan, contributing five goals and assists combined in his first seven league appearances.

His performances have attracted interest from several clubs, but Brighton appear to have moved to the front of the queue. AIK have confirmed that discussions are ongoing regarding the sale of one of their most valuable assets, although the club did not publicly name the interested team.

In a statement, the Swedish club revealed that the proposed deal would surpass every previous transfer in their history. The move is expected to generate a record financial return and would comfortably eclipse the club’s previous benchmark sale.

For almost a decade, that record has belonged to Swedish striker Alexander Isak, who left AIK for Borussia Dortmund in January 2017 in a deal worth around €8.6 million. The figures currently being discussed for Yohanna would more than double that amount.

The transfer could also make Yohanna the most expensive player ever sold by a Swedish club. The current Swedish record belongs to midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who joined Tottenham Hotspur from Djurgårdens IF in 2024 for €20 million.

The transfer would equally represent another major milestone for Nigerian football. Jeremy Agbonifo’s move from BK Häcken to RC Lens for €6.5 million remains the biggest sale involving a player of Nigerian heritage from Sweden, while former Golden Eaglets winger Akinkunmi Amoo was sold by Hammarby to FC Copenhagen for €4.5 million in 2022.

The Nigerian/Super Eagles players who have worn Brighton colours

Should the transfer be completed, Yohanna would become the latest Nigerian footballer to feature in Brighton’s history and one of only a handful of players from the country to represent the club.

The most notable recent name is Leon Balogun. The experienced centre-back joined Brighton from Mainz in 2018 after helping Nigeria’s Super Eagles reach the FIFA World Cup in Russia. He spent two seasons with the Seagulls before departing for Wigan Athletic.

Another familiar name to Nigerian fans is Chuba Akpom. The striker spent the second half of the 2016-17 campaign on loan from Arsenal and played a role in helping Brighton secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Long before Brighton became a top-flight club, several other Nigerian players had brief spells at the club. Ade Akinbiyi scored four goals in seven appearances during a loan spell from Norwich City in 1994. Defender Emeka Ifejiagwa made two appearances after arriving from Charlton Athletic, while forward David Adekola featured once following his move from Germany.

Yohanna would arrive at a very different Brighton. Under their modern recruitment model, the Seagulls have built a reputation for identifying and developing young talents before turning them into Premier League stars.

Brighton finished 8th in the Premier League this season and will feature in the Europa Conference League next term.