Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of Zadok Yohanna from AIK Stockholm, with the 18-year-old Nigerian winger putting pen to paper on a five-year contract that runs until June 2031. The move was announced on 6 June 2026 and became official when the transfer window opened on 15 June. Brighton have not disclosed the fee, but it is widely reported at around £21.5 million, with some estimates of the full package - including add-ons - stretching towards €28 million. Either way, it stands as the biggest sale in AIK's history and a new record for a transfer out of Swedish football.
Brighton had to see off a long list of admirers to get the deal done. Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt were all credited with interest at various points, with Newcastle reportedly tabling a bid worth more than Brighton's. Yohanna's agent, Andrei Balmos, said the player turned down richer offers - including from Saudi Arabia - because he wanted 'the best project' rather than the biggest pay day. Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said the club was delighted to land him: "He's dynamic, has pace and likes to take players on. His attributes and ability will be a real addition to our attacking options." He added that Yohanna is "an exciting player to watch" who will bring creativity supporters will enjoy.
Brighton's recruitment model is built on identifying young, athletic attackers before the wider market catches up, and Yohanna fits that profile closely. He is a naturally left-footed winger who plays on the right, cutting inside to shoot or create rather than hugging the touchline, and scouts have compared his direct, one-on-one style to RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande. Brighton clearly see a player who can be developed further and, in time, sold on for significantly more - the pattern that has funded much of the club's recent rebuilding.
For AIK, this is a huge financial boost but a real footballing loss. Yohanna arrived at the Swedish club from the Ikon Allah academy in Nigeria only in the summer of 2025 and had made the breakthrough into the first team this season, becoming the club's first-choice right winger after a managerial change brought in a new attacking system. AIK's head of recruitment, Miika Takkula, called it "a remarkable sale" that strengthens the club's finances and cash flow, and said it fits their strategy of developing and selling players. AIK will now have to find a way to replace his output on the pitch, having built their attack around him for much of the campaign.
Yohanna's numbers this season explain the fee. Across 18 appearances for AIK in all competitions he scored five goals and set up four more - two goals and three assists came in the Allsvenskan, with the rest arriving in cup football. He also averaged more attempted dribbles per 90 minutes than any other player in the Swedish top flight, underlining the explosive, take-on-your-man style that persuaded so many big clubs to send scouts to watch him.
At Brighton, Yohanna joins a squad that has repeatedly turned promising young wide players into first-team regulars, and he arrives with time to adapt before being expected to start every week. His directness and pace give Hurzeler another option to stretch defences from the right, either as an option from the bench or, if he settles quickly, a genuine contender for a starting berth once he adjusts to the physical demands of the Premier League.