Brighton Sign Georginio Rutter for Club Record £40m

Brighton & Hove Albion have secured the signing of French forward Georginio Rutter from Leeds United for a club record fee of £40 million. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Seagulls.

Rutter, who joined Leeds from Hoffenheim in January 2023, scored eight goals in 66 appearances for the Yorkshire club. Leeds set a transfer record at the time, paying up to £36 million for his services.

Brighton's technical director, David Weir, commented, "He's a strong technical player and one we are excited to bring to the club. We look forward to seeing him continue to develop with us."

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler stated, "Georginio is a player who has the capabilities to get fans off their seats and really showed what he can do in English football with Leeds last season - but I have known about him since he played in Germany for Hoffenheim."

Hurzeler, who is the Premier League's youngest manager at 31, added, "Now we have to integrate him into the team. We're looking forward to working with him."

Leeds United confirmed they made "every effort" to retain Rutter, but Brighton activated his release clause.

Rutter's final appearances for Leeds included a match against Portsmouth in the Championship and a League Cup tie against Middlesbrough. Brighton's next Premier League match is against Manchester United on Saturday, following their 3-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park in their season opener.