Nigeria international, Femi Azeez, has completed his move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion from Championship club Millwall in a deal that could exceed £15 million.
Brighton agreed to pay an initial £12.5 million for the 25-year-old winger, with performance-related add-ons capable of taking the overall value of the transfer beyond £15 million.
Azeez has agreed a four-year contract with Brighton, with the club retaining an option to extend his stay for an additional year.
The transfer brings to an end several days of negotiations between Brighton and Millwall, with the Lions rejecting earlier offers of approximately £10 million and £12 million before accepting an improved proposal.
Azeez had made his desire to move to the Premier League clear, while Millwall held firm on their valuation of the player.
The deal represents a huge financial return for Millwall, who signed Azeez from Reading for around £1 million in August 2024.
His departure two years later could therefore generate more than 15 times what the club initially paid for him.
For Azeez, the move marks the latest chapter in an impressive rise to the top level of English football.
Born in London to a Nigerian father and Spanish mother, Azeez began his youth career at Watford but was released at the age of 14.
He subsequently rebuilt his career in non-league football before earning another opportunity in the professional game.
Reading handed him that chance, and he made his senior Championship debut during the 2020-21 campaign.
He went on to score 11 goals in 89 appearances for the club before moving to Millwall.
His first campaign with the Lions was largely an adjustment period following his move from League One, but he emerged as a key player during the 2025-26 season.
Azeez recorded 11 goals and eight assists in 37 Championship appearances as Millwall mounted a promotion challenge. His performances earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, selected by fellow professional players.
Although Millwall’s promotion bid ended in the play-off semi-finals against Hull City, Azeez’s displays had already attracted considerable attention from Premier League clubs.
His progress also earned him international recognition in May when he received his first Nigeria call-up from head coach Eric Chelle.
Azeez marked his Super Eagles debut in impressive fashion, scoring twice in Nigeria’s 2-0 Unity Cup victory over Zimbabwe at The Valley in London on May 26.
He opened the scoring in the fifth minute before completing his brace after the hour mark.
His arrival at Brighton is expected to strengthen the club’s attacking options, while also potentially paving the way for 21-year-old winger Amario Cozier-Duberry to depart on loan, with Middlesbrough among the clubs reportedly interested.
Azeez’s journey to the Premier League is particularly notable given his early setback at Watford.
From being released as a teenager to rebuilding his career outside the professional game, he has progressed to becoming a PFA Team of the Year player, a Nigeria international and now a Premier League footballer.
