Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the signing of attacker Brajan Gruda on a permanent deal from Mainz 05, subject to work permit and international clearance.
The 20-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year contract until June 2028 and moves to the Amex Stadium in a deal worth around £25m.
Gruda was signed by Mainz as a 14-year-old in 2018 and eventually made his senior debut for the Bundesliga club in January 2023, just two months after penning his first professional contract.
The versatile attacking midfielder, who can operate centrally or on either flank, enjoyed a breakthrough season with Mainz in 2023-24, chipping in with four goals and three assists in 28 Bundesliga games.
Gruda is of Albanian descent, but he has represented Germany at all youth age groups from the age of 15, making seven appearances for the Under-21s, and has been described as a "very fine footballer" and "extremely creative in the final third" by Germany's senior head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
The highly-rated youngster has been on Brighton's radar for some time and despite reported interest from clubs including Bayern Munich and Liverpool, the Seagulls have won the race for his signature.
There. We. Land. 😏✈️ pic.twitter.com/1EW3JO2U3e
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 14, 2024
Gruda: 'It's going to be fun at Brighton'
Speaking to Brighton's official website about Gruda, new head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: "I'm really pleased to get the opportunity to work with Brajan. I saw the big impact he made last season in the Bundesliga and he's a player I admire a lot.
"The Premier League will be a different challenge but I'm looking forward to working with Brajan and helping to develop his big potential."
Brighton's technical director David Weir added, "We're delighted to bring Brajan to the club. He's a player we have been tracking for a while and he's already played at a really good level in the Bundesliga. He is a player Fabian knows well and is really looking forward to working with."
In a brief interview for Brighton's official website, Gruda said: "It's a very good club, a very young team, it's going to be fun. I hope to play [for Germany at international level] next year.
"I don't like to lose. I would say I am a dribbler. I like to dribble. [Hurzeler] said to me he knows me a long time ago and likes how I play.
"He just told me good things. I don't care if I play right-winger or No.10 or No.8, I just want to play."
Gruda becomes Brighton's sixth signing of the summer transfer window after Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Malick Yalcouye, Amario Cozier-Duberry and Ibrahim Osman, and he could be in contention to make his Premier League debut for the Seagulls away against Everton on Saturday.
