Done deal: Super Eagles star seals record move to Brighton

Brighton & Hove Albion have agreed a deal to sign Nigeria winger Femi Azeez from Millwall in a deadline-day move worth more than £15 million, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Premier League club will pay Millwall an initial £12.5m, with performance-related add-ons taking the total package beyond £15m. Azeez has agreed a four-year contract at the Amex Stadium, with Brighton holding an option to extend the deal by another 12 months.

The 25-year-old has been given permission to travel for his medical as Brighton race to complete the transfer before the 11pm BST deadline on Tuesday. The agreement ends a busy few days of negotiations after Millwall rejected earlier offers from Brighton.

The Lions had turned down bids worth around £10m and £12m before accepting Brighton's improved package. Azeez had made it clear that he wanted the chance to play in the Premier League, and Brighton eventually found a deal that met Millwall's valuation.

The transfer is a major financial result for Millwall. The club signed Azeez from Reading for about £1m in August 2024. Two years later, his sale could bring the London club more than 15 times that initial investment.

It is also a significant step for Azeez, who has taken a long route to the Premier League.

Brighton's Azeez: From academy rejection to the Premier League

Azeez was born in London to a Nigerian father and Spanish mother. He started his youth career at Watford but was released when he was 14. Rather than give up, he rebuilt his career through non-league football before earning another chance in the professional game.

Reading gave him that opportunity, and he made his senior Championship debut during the 2020-21 season. He scored 11 goals in 89 appearances for the Royals before joining Millwall.

His first season at Millwall was mainly about adapting after the move from League One. The breakthrough came in 2025-26.

Azeez scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 37 Championship appearances as Millwall challenged for promotion. His form earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, voted for by fellow professional footballers.

Millwall's promotion campaign eventually ended in the play-off semi-finals against Hull City, but Azeez's individual performances had already attracted Premier League interest.

His rise also reached the international stage in May. After receiving his first Nigeria call-up from coach Eric Chelle, Azeez scored twice on his Super Eagles debut in a 2-0 Unity Cup win over Zimbabwe at The Valley in London on May 26. He scored in the fifth minute and added another goal after the hour mark.

That debut gave Nigeria another attacking option ahead of the next international cycle. Now, Azeez is set to test himself against Premier League defenders.

Brighton's move also has an effect on their squad plans. His 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.

Azeez's transfer completes one of the most unlikely journeys in English football. A player released by Watford at 14 has gone from rebuilding his career outside the professional game to becoming a PFA Team of the Year player, a Nigeria international and, now, a Premier League footballer.