Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of full-back Ferdi Kadioglu from Fenerbahce.
The 24-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year contract at the Amex Stadium and was unveiled to the Seagulls supporters before the club's EFL Cup second-round win at home to Crawley Town on Tuesday night.
Kadioglu joins Brighton for undisclosed terms, but the Seagulls are believed to have forked out around €30m (£25.3m) to secure his services.
Brighton managed to fend off interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, who were all linked with the defender earlier this summer.
The 20-cap Turkey international becomes Brighton's ninth signing of the summer transfer window after Matt O'Riley, Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Malick Yalcouye, Amario Cozier-Duberry and Ibrahim Osman, who has since joined Eredivisie club Feyenoord on loan.
Brighton have now spent almost £200m on their new recruits, with only Chelsea (£204m) have forked out more on players across Europe so far this summer.
Welcome to your new home, Ferdi! 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/JqBOJ8g5jM
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 27, 2024
Hurzeler "very excited" by Kadioglu arrival
Speaking to Brighton's official website about the addition of Kadioglu, head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: "I'm very excited because we are getting an excellent player and a great character. He has great ability, is a strong runner and very good at passing.
"He is predominantly a full-back and can play on the right or left side; he can also play in the centre of midfield.
"He is someone who is very keen to learn and develop, and with that in mind I'm confident he will adjust to the Premier League and adapt quickly to English football."
Kadioglu was born in the Netherlands but was a standout performer for Turkey at Euro 2024 as they surprised many by reaching the quarter-finals.
The right-footed defender, who has predominantly played as a left-back, began his career with Dutch club NEC Nijmegen before joining Fenerbahce in 2018.
Kadioglu, who won the Turkish Cup in 2022-23, scored 18 goals and provided 22 assists in 204 games for Fenerbahce, chipping in with three goals and five assists in 51 appearances last season.
The defender could make his debut for Brighton when they travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
Oliver Thomas
