Sky Germany reports that Brighton are closing in on the permanent signing of Mainz and Germany under-21 winger Brajan Gruda.
Brighton will pay around €30m for the 20-year-old, who has already reached a personal agreement with the Premier League side over a move. Several Bundesliga sides including Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich all showed interest in Gruda but none ever made a bid for him.
Former St.Pauli and now Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzler played a key role in convincing the winger to move to the English South Coast. The German influence may not stop there as Brighton have also shown an interest in bringing Mats Hummels to the AMEX, who is currently a free agent.
Last season was Gruda’s breakout season in the Bundesliga as he was important in Mainz’s turnaround as they survived relegation despite looking doomed for the 2.Bundesliga at the beginning of the year. Gruda’s performances also earned him a call up to help the Germany senior side in preparation for EURO 2024.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
