Brighton Agree £15m Premier League Deal for Nigeria Star Femi Azeez

Brighton & Hove Albion have agreed a deal to sign Nigeria winger Femi Azeez from Millwall in a deadline-day move that could exceed £15 million. The Premier League club will pay an initial £12.5m, with performance-related add-ons taking the total value beyond that figure. The agreement is not yet a completed transfer, as Azeez must undergo a medical before signing his contract.

The 25-year-old has been given permission to travel for the medical, with the deal expected to be completed before the 11pm BST deadline. Brighton and Millwall have settled on the financial terms after earlier offers were rejected. Brighton had reportedly submitted bids of around £10m and £12m before improving the package to meet Millwall’s valuation.

Azeez is expected to sign a four-year contract at Brighton, with the club holding an option to extend the agreement by a further 12 months. If the add-ons are achieved, the transfer could become the biggest sale in Millwall’s history. It would move beyond the £14m received for Romain Esse’s transfer to Crystal Palace last summer.

The deal reflects the impact Azeez made during the 2025-26 Championship season. He scored 11 goals and supplied seven assists in 37 league appearances for Millwall, establishing himself as one of the division’s most effective attacking players. His performances earned him selection in the PFA Championship Team of the Season, recognition voted for by fellow professional footballers.

Millwall’s promotion campaign ended in the play-off semi-finals against Hull City, but Azeez’s individual form had already drawn Premier League attention. The London club signed him from Reading for about £1m in August 2024. His proposed sale two years later would give Millwall a return of more than 15 times that initial investment, while also completing a rapid rise for a player who spent part of his development outside the professional game.

Azeez was born in London to a Nigerian father and Spanish mother and began his youth career at Watford. He was released by the club at 14 and rebuilt his route into senior football through non-league football. Reading later gave him another opportunity, and he made his senior Championship debut during the 2020-21 season. He scored 11 goals in 89 appearances for the Royals before moving to Millwall.

His club progress was followed by an international breakthrough with Nigeria. After receiving his first Super Eagles call-up from coach Eric Chelle, Azeez scored twice on his debut in Nigeria’s 2-0 Unity Cup victory over Zimbabwe at The Valley in London on 26 May. He opened the scoring in the fifth minute and added the second goal after the hour mark, immediately placing himself in the conversation around Nigeria’s attacking options.

Brighton will now offer Azeez the chance to make the next step against Premier League opposition. The club is top of the 2026 Premier League table in the database, with three points from one match and a 4-0 goal record. Its listed recent results include wins over Wolves and Chelsea, alongside defeats to Manchester United, Leeds and Newcastle United. Brighton’s next fixture is at home to Leeds on 5 September, although Azeez’s availability for that match depends on the completion of the transfer and any registration requirements.

The move also has implications for Brighton’s squad planning. Azeez’s arrival is expected to help clear the way for 21-year-old winger Amario Cozier-Duberry to leave on loan, with Middlesbrough among the clubs interested. For Azeez, the transfer brings together his Championship breakthrough, PFA recognition and immediate international impact. Once the medical is completed and the contract is signed, a player released by Watford as a teenager will begin his Premier League career with Brighton.