Brighton transfer news: €35m record deal confirmed amid Joao Pedro uncertainty

Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the signing of teenage striker Charalampos Kostoulas from Olympiacos.

The 18-year-old, who passed his medical on Thursday and has put pen to paper on a five-year contract until 2030, will officially join the Seagulls on July 1, subject to the satisfactory completion of all necessary regulatory processes.

It is understood that Brighton have agreed to pay Olympiacos an initial £29.8m (€35m) fee with a further £1.7m (€2m) in add-ons.

By some distance, this deal represents the highest fee ever received by a Greek club, beating the £16.6m forked out by Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign Daniel Podence from Olympiakos in 2020.

Should Brighton pay the aforementioned add-ons, Kostoulas will become the most expensive Greek player in history, surpassing Napoli’s £30.6m signing of Kostas Manolas from Roma in 2019.

Kostoulas becomes the second Greek teenage attacker to join Brighton this year after 19-year-old Stefanos Tzimas signed in January for a reported £20m, before spending the rest of last season on loan with Nurnberg.

Brighton complete signing of “outstanding” Kostoulas

“Charalampos is an outstanding young player and we’re delighted he is coming to Brighton,” head coach Fabian Hurzeler told the club’s official website.

“He wants to play in the Premier League and we are excited about what he can bring to the team.

“He will give us different attacking options and we’re looking forward to helping him adapt to his new environment.”

Manchester United allegedly sent scouts to watch Kostoulas towards the end of last year and made contact over a potential deal to sign the attacker, while Arsenal are also understood to have previously expressed their interest in Brighton’s new signing.

Kostoulas has established himself as one of the biggest prospects in Europe since breaking into the senior team of Greek champions Olympiacos, having previously excelled at academy level.

Kostoulas in, Pedro out at Brighton?

He made his professional debut at the age of just 15 for the Olympiacos B team in the Greek second division in January 2023, surpassing Kyriakos Papadopoulos to become the youngest player in the club's history.

Kostoulas, who is comfortable operating as a central striker, out wide or in an advanced midfield role, helped Olympiacos win the UEFA Youth League - the youth version of the Champions League - in 2023-24 with five goals in eight matches.

The Greek Under-21 international finished last season with seven goals in 22 first-team games in the Greek Super League and the youngster can now look forward to testing himself in the Premier League.

Kostoulas’s arrival at Brighton comes at a time when Joao Pedro is facing an uncertain future at the club amid reported interest from several Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United.