Chelsea Joins Race for £20m Brighton Target Zadok Yohanna Amid Newcastle Interest

Chelsea and Newcastle United are reportedly set to compete with Brighton & Hove Albion for the highly-rated winger Zadok Yohanna. The 19-year-old is currently the subject of significant interest following reports that Brighton is in advanced discussions with Swedish club AIK Fotboll regarding a transfer fee of approximately £20 million.

Should the deal be finalized, it would mark a record sale for AIK and establish Yohanna as the most expensive player ever sold by a Swedish club, surpassing the €20 million (£17.3 million) that Tottenham Hotspur paid for Lucas Bergvall from Djurgardens IF in 2024.

Brighton appears to be in a strong position to secure Yohanna’s services, with optimism that an agreement can be reached within the week. However, interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Newcastle has intensified the competition.

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Brighton Faces Tough Competition for Yohanna

According to Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg, Newcastle currently holds the highest bid for Yohanna among interested clubs, although Brighton has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with the player. A separate report from Swedish outlet Expressen indicates that Newcastle’s offer stands at €24 million (£20.8 million) with additional performance-related bonuses.

Chelsea, now under the management of Xabi Alonso, has yet to submit an official offer but may soon do so if Yohanna indicates a preference for a move to Stamford Bridge.

The club’s recruitment strategy focuses on acquiring young talents with the potential to develop into elite players who can either contribute to the first team or be sold for profit. Yohanna fits this profile well.

Brighton, managed by Fabian Hurzeler, employs a similar transfer strategy, while Newcastle aims to revamp their squad with younger players as part of head coach Eddie Howe’s plans.

Who is Zadok Yohanna?

Zadok Yohanna was born and raised in Bauchi, Nigeria, where he started his youth career at the Ikon Allah Academy, a notable grassroots football academy. He moved to Sweden in June 2025 to join AIK and quickly made an impact on their Under-19 team, scoring four goals in three matches before advancing to the first team.

Since making his professional debut in August last year, Yohanna has netted five goals and provided four assists across 18 appearances for AIK in all competitions. Primarily playing as a right-winger, he notably scored twice in a commanding 4-0 victory over BK Hacken during the Svenska Cupen in March and has contributed five goals (two goals and three assists) in seven top-flight matches this year.