Brighton are on the cusp of signing Leeds striker Georginio Rutter for £40m – as Seagulls trigger release clause for French star after having two bids turned down

Brighton are on the brink of signing Leeds striker Georginio Rutter for £40million after the Seagulls ‘activated the French star’s release clause’.

The decision now lies in the hands of the 22-year-old with the Premier League side confident the forward will agree terms and make the move to the south coast.

Leeds rejected two bids of £29m and £35m from Brighton earlier in the summer before Fabian Hurzeler’s side eventually met the terms of the clause, which came into effect after the Yorkshire team were relegated from the top flight in 2023.

The France under-21 international, whose deal extends until 2028, is believed to have behaved in a respectful way amid growing interest in his signature and he is among the most well-liked players in the squad at Elland Road, the New York Times reports.

As a result, he made himself available to be selected for Leeds’ Carabao Cup clash against Middlesborough, coming on as a second-half replacement in a 3-0 defeat last night.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side have met the terms of the release clause which became active in 2023

Last year, Daniel Farke’s side looked to be surging back to the top flight, with Rutter scoring seven and assisting 15

Rutter joined the then Premier League outfit in January 2023 from Hoffenheim for a £25m upfront fee, with an extra £10m in add-ons.

The forward played 11 times for Leeds at the end of a tough season which ended in relegation.

Last year, Daniel Farke’s side looked to be surging back to the top flight, with Rutter scoring seven and assisting 15, but fell painfully short in a play-off final loss to Southampton.

And Leeds will be keen to hang onto the talented striker after already seeing star men Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray move to West Ham and Spurs respectively.

Brighton kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Goodison Park to face Sean Dyche’s Everton on Saturday afternoon having added Brajan Gruda from Mainz to their squad yesterday.

There was also some transfer activity on the south coast today as Ibrahim Osman joined Feyenoord on a season-long loan.

Osman signed from Nordsjaelland earlier in the summer and played a part in pre-season, but will spend the campaign in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Hurzeler said in his pre-match press conference this afternoon: ‘First of all, I’m very happy with the squad we already have.

Leeds will be keen to hang onto the talented striker after already seeing star man Crysencio Summerville move to West Ham

Right-back Archie Gray has also moved from Elland Road this summer, switching to Spurs

Brighton kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Goodison Park to face Sean Dyche’s Everton

‘It’s also our job to search if there’s any player who fits our profile, to our style of play.

‘The character of the player is very important for us. 

‘If there might be a fit, we will see what happens, but to negotiations or to players we want to maybe see in our squad, I will never say anything.’