Brighton have completed the £40m signing of forward Georginio Rutter from Leeds United.
Rutter is Brighton’s seventh summer signing, with new boss Fabian Hurzeler adding Brajan Gruda to his squad last week to join Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Ibrahim Osman, Malick Junior Yalcouye and Amario Cozier-Duberry as new arrivals on the south coast.
Brighton activated a £40m release clause in Rutter’s contract last week – a club-record outlay – before the player verbally agreed to make the switch and said his goodbyes to his Leeds team-mates on Thursday morning.
Rutter has signed a contract with Brighton that runs until June 2029.
Seagulls head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: “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 – but I have known about him since he played in Germany for Hoffenheim.
“Now we have to integrate him into the team. We’re looking forward to working with him.”
Technical director David Weir added: “Georginio is a player we have been looking at for a while. He’s a strong technical player and one we are excited to bring to the club. We look forward to seeing him continue to develop with us.”
A Leeds United statement read: “Every effort was made to keep Georginio at Elland Road despite his exit clause being activated, but he was persistent and adamant in his desire to leave and we respect his decision.
“Georginio now departs Leeds United having made a total of 66 appearances, scoring eight goals over an 18-month spell.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Georgie for his efforts both on and off the pitch, along with his exemplary attitude and professionalism during his time at the club. We wish him all the very best for the future.”
Leeds signed Rutter in January of last year on a five-and-a-half-year contract from Hoffenheim in a club-record deal.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between West Brom and Leeds United
The 22-year-old scored eight goals and assisted 16 in a total of 51 appearances last season as Leeds missed out on an immediate Premier League return after relegation.
Rutter’s sale is a record for a player in the Championship who has not been transferred in the season immediately after their club was relegated from the Premier League. The current record sale out of the Championship remains Romeo Lavia from Southampton, after they were relegated in 2023, to Chelsea for £58m.
The Frenchman’s departure is another major loss for Leeds who have sold Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville to Tottenham and West Ham respectively.
What can Rutter offer Brighton?
Sky Sports’ Conor O’Neill:
Rutter played just 264 minutes of Premier League football after joining a struggling Leeds side in January 2023.
Since then, he has become a central creative force under Daniel Farke.
His 15 assists were the second highest in last season’s Championship, and no player attempted more take-ons.
The heat map above shows a player who operates across the entire final third. The forward is also an effective presser, ranking sixth in final-third turnovers last season.
Much of his chance creation comes from long, central passes into the box. His shooting is varied, with the shot map below illustrating his tendency for speculative long-range efforts.
Rutter’s creativity numbers were outstanding last season, but his finishing stats were less impressive. He failed to convert 18 big chances, the joint-second highest in the league.