AFCON 2025
Brighton & Hove Albion pushed through a deadline-day deal to sign Nigeria international Femi Azeez from Millwall, ending a summer-long chase for the Championship’s breakout winger. The Premier League club agreed a package worth £15 million, with an initial £12.5 million transfer fee topped up by performance-related add-ons of just over £2.5 million.
Millwall resisted for weeks. The Lions rejected bids worth around £10 million and £12 million before Brighton’s improved offer finally met their valuation, and the south London club only granted Azeez permission to travel for his medical in the closing hours of the window. Transfer journalist David Ornstein confirmed the two clubs had struck a club-to-club agreement as Brighton raced to beat the deadline.
Azeez will sign a four-year contract that runs until June 2030, with Brighton holding an option to extend his stay for a further season through 2031. The move stands as a record sale for Millwall, eclipsing the fee Crystal Palace paid for Romain Esse in 2024, and also marks a stunning return on investment: the Lions signed Azeez from Reading for just £1 million back in 2024.
His rise through English football’s lower tiers has been rapid. Azeez delivered a breakout 2025-26 campaign at the Den, scoring 11 goals and registering eight assists across 37 appearances, form that earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year. Head coach Fabian Hurzeler had identified him as a key target throughout the summer, drawn to his direct running and goal threat from wide areas.
Azeez’s club form has translated onto the international stage. He earned his first Super Eagles call-up from head coach Eric Chelle and marked his debut with two goals in Nigeria’s 2-0 Unity Cup win over Zimbabwe at The Valley in London on May 26, striking in the fifth minute before adding another after the hour mark.
Brighton fought off interest from Hull and Wrexham to land their man, with Azeez determined to force through a move to the Premier League. Once the transfer is finalised, he will become the seventh Nigerian player to represent Brighton in the club’s history and the Seagulls’ 11th signing of a busy summer window.
Femi Azeez joins 18-year-old Nigerian, Zadok Yohanna who marked his Premier League debut in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa on matchday 1 of the Premier League season.
