Verbruggen rumors shot down, South Korean signing confirmed & other Brighton news (Brighton news roundup Mar. 16-29)
I don’t want to talk about the FA Cup loss to Nottingham Forest, so let’s get caught up on all the latest Brighton news from the last two weeks instead.
Transfer News
Incoming Transfers
Yoon Doyoung - Albion confirm signing of Daejeon Hana Citizen winger
Brighton have confirmed the signing of South Korean winger Yoon Doyoung. Officially, Albion signed from Daejeon Hana Citizen for an undisclosed fee. Most reports say Brighton paid around £2m. As reported in February, Doyoung will likely be loaned out to gain experience at another European club.
If you want to learn more about Brighton’s latest signing, the club published a profile on the 18-year-old featuring insights from South Korean footballing experts Paul Neat and Ross Davis.
Nick Woltemade - Brighton inquire about Stuttgart forward
Sport BILD has reported that Brighton are interested in VfB Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade. The 6’6” 23-year-old is in the midst of a breakout campaign for Die Roten and has even surpassed Denis Undav in the club’s striker list, according to some reports.
Brighton are not the only club interested in Woltemade. The report from Germany says Bayern are strongly interested, while Everton and Brighton are “keeping an eye on Woltemade.” Whoever signs him will have to pay over €40m for him, says BILD.
Roger Fernandes - Brighton bid for Braga winger
Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (via Sport Witness) has revealed that Brighton submitted a bid in January for Braga right winger Roger Fernandes. The Seagulls have been tracking the 19-year-old since at least October. However, they were not willing to meet Braga’s €20m asking price in January.
O Jogo claims the Portuguese club now want at least €30m for Fernandes. A bidding war could bring that price up even higher though. Fulham, Brighton, Chelsea, and Aston Villa are among 10 teams reportedly monitoring his situation. Fernandes’ contract has a €40m release clause.
David Hancko - Scout coy about tracking Feyenoord center back
Per Feyenoord Pings, Brighton scout Bert Konterman has been spotted watching Feyenoord for the Seagulls this month. Dutch reporter Tijmen van Wissing asked Konterman if he was scouting defender Dávid Hancko. Konterman refused to comment, but did confirm that Brighton are not interested in Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom.
Mahamadou Doumbia - Juve, Brighton, other PL clubs want Royal Antwerp star
Africa Foot claim that Brighton are one of “several European clubs” interested in Royal Antwerp midfielder Mahamadou Doumbia. Juventus have reportedly already opened talks to sign the 20-year-old Malian and have prepared an initial bid of €10m.
Everton, Crystal Palace, Sevilla, and Napoli are also interested. Africa Foot expects that Antwerp will demand at least €15m for Doumbia.
Alfie Osborne - Seagulls monitoring Hearts youngster
According to the Daily Record Brighton are keeping tabs on Scotland U17 star Alfie Osborne. Albion representatives watched the teenage defender play for the Scottish youth team against North Macedonia at the beginning of the last international break and could be preparing to submit an offer.
The report describes Osborne as “one of the main prospects coming through at Hearts” and as a player that Brighton have been watching for some time. Hearts recently agreed to a deal with Brighton owner Tony Bloom, allowing them to use Starlizard’s recruitment data.
Konstantinos Karetsas - Albion interested in Greek wonderkid
TRB Football has reported that Brighton are monitoring Greece international Konstantinos Karetsas. The 17-year-old Genk star made his debut for the Greek senior team in the last international window against Scotland. He scored in his second match against the Scots to become the youngest goalscorer in Greece and Nation’s League history.
Brighton, Manchester United, and Liverpool, along with a handful of other PL clubs were in attendance at Hampden Park watching the Greek wonderkid score in his second ever international match.
Outgoing Transfers
Bart Verbruggen - Bayern links dismissed, Barca keeping tabs
The last few days have been a whirlwind for Bart Verbruggen transfer rumors. On Friday, the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath reported that Bayern Munich were preparing to make a bid for the Dutchman this summer to replace Manuel Neuer.
Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg –who was one of the first journalists claiming Bayern are keeping tabs on Verbruggen– claimed that reports of Bayern preparing to make a bid this summer were “wide of the mark.”
“There are no plans to prepare an offer for him. He’s not a target for summer,” Plettenberg explained.
On Tuesday, before the Bayern rumors came out, Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness) reported that Barcelona are closely following Verbruggen with a possible deal in 2026 in mind.
Julio Enciso - Top Paraguayan source says Brighton are ready to sell
Speaking to Versus, Christian Martin reported that Brighton are “open to offers” for Julio Enciso. The journalist was one of the main sources who broke the news about Enciso’s move to Ipswich Town before it happened.
Martin says that he thinks Brighton will let Enciso go for €30m to another PL club or a club in Spain or Italy who have already tried to sign the Paraguayan, such as Napoli or Sevilla.
Matt O’Riley - Italian clubs keeping track of fringe midfielder
After struggling for game time at Brighton so far this season, Alex Crook claims that Matt O’Riley could make a move to Italy this summer. The talkSPORT reporter says the midfielder is “attracting the attentions of clubs in Italy,” with Roma one of the main candidates to sign him.
No other clubs are named in the report. However, it’s widely known that Atalanta were interested in signing O’Riley before he decided to join Brighton last summer.
Joao Pedro - Liverpool make contact with Brighton forward’s agents
A new report from Caught Offside says that Liverpool have “established contact with” Joao Pedro’s entourage ahead of a possible move this summer. This is not the first time this has been reported. However, Caught Offside adds that Pedro is quickly becoming one of Arne Slot’s top targets for the summer window.
Caylan Vickers - Albion prospect tracked by several Championship clubs
Football Insider’s Pete O'Rourke has reported that Brighton’s Caylan Vickers is on the radar of several Championship clubs after his strong performances for Mansfield Town on loan this season. O'Rourke does not mention any specific clubs, but he does specify that the interested teams are “considering loan and permanent moves.”
Other News & Media
Albion trio nominated for Premier League awards
Jan Paul van Hecke has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month for March award (vote here).
Fabian Hurzeler is on the March Premier League Manager of the Month shortlist (vote here).
Pervis Estupinan's free-kick goal against Man City has been nominated for Premier League Goal of the Month (vote here).
Notable Interviews
Fabian Hurzeler gave a wide-ranging interview to German outlet Hamburger Abendblatt about his tactics, goals for Brighton this season, and the challenges of being the youngest head coach in PL history.
Fran Kirby talked with the BBC about the impact of England’s Women’s Euros win on women’s football in Britain.
Yankuba Minteh discussed his rise from Gambian football to the Premier League with NBC Sports.
Yasin Ayari revealed to Fotbollskanalen that he is a football addict who hates journalists.
Jan Paul van Hecke talked with the Independent about his career, Brighton’s season, and more.
Brajan Gruda spoke to Kicker about adjusting to life in Brighton and how Hurzeler’s tactics differ from how he played at Mainz in the Bundesliga.
Clement Bischoff opened up about his failed Brighton transfer to Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet (via Sport Witness).
England Women call up three Seagulls
Sarina Wiegman has called up Fran Kirby, Nikita Parris, and Maisie Symonds for the Lionesses’ upcoming matches against Belgium on April 4 and April 8. Parris and Kirby have re-emerged as regulars in Wiegman’s team, while this is Symonds’ first call up.
Fulham Academy Director joins Brighton Women staff
Per the Training Ground Guru, long-time Fulham staff member Sean Cullen has left the Cottagers after a decade of service to join Brighton as the Seagulls’ new Head of Recruitment for the Women’s First Team Football.
Brighton Women match against Liverpool moved to the Amex
The Albion's upcoming Brighton Women’s match on Saturday April 19 at 12.30pm has been moved to the Amex. It will be the third Women's Super League match at the Amex this season and the first since a 3-2 victory over West Ham in November.
Newcastle match moved
Brighton’s May 3rd match against Newcastle has been moved to Sunday, May 4th at 2pm BST (9am EDT), where it will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Fan Advisory Board Openings
Brighton are looking for three new members to join the club’s official Fan Advisory Board. Prospective members must be season ticket holders and, if selected to join, will help the current board provide “feedback to the club on various topics.” Learn more here.
Brighton nominated for five categories at Women's Football Awards
The Women’s Football Awards have nominated Brighton Women for five honors ahead of this year’s ceremony on May 5th in London.
Dario Vidosic – Manager/Coach Award
Michelle Agyemang – Young Player of the Year
BHAFC – Club of the Year
Best Fan Engagement
Best EDI Award
To vote for any of Brighton’s nominees click here.
Stefanos Tzimas named in NXGN 2025 top 50 wonderkids list
New Brighton signing Stefanos Tzimas was ranked as the 24th best young player in world football in Goal.com’s NXGN list of the top 50 wonderkids for 2025. Brighton paid £20m to sign the Greece U21 international from Nurnberg in January. The 19-year-old is currently still on loan at the 2. Bundesliga club.