Brighton buys French forward Georginio Rutter for club record transfer fee

Brighton signed Georginio Rutter from second-tier Leeds late Monday, making the France Under-21 forward a reported record transfer buy for the Premier League club.

Brighton said Rutter signed a five-year deal, with the move reportedly valued at a club record 40 million pounds ($52 million).

The 22-year-old Rutter had moved to England in January 2023 when Leeds, then in the Premier League, bought him from Hoffenheim in a deal worth up to 35 million pounds ($45.5 million).

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, Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler said.

Rutter scored eight goals last season as Leeds missed out on promotion by losing the Championship playoff final to Southampton. Leeds is majority owned by the San Francisco 49ers.