Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the signing of teenage striker Charalampos Kostoulas from Olympiakos.
The 18-year-old, who completed the medical test on Thursday and has signed a five-year contract until 2030, will officially become part of “The Seagulls” from July 1, provided that all necessary regulatory processes are completed satisfactorily.
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Last season, Brighton ended up in 8th place in the Premier League, just outside of play in Europe.
It is understood that Brighton have agreed with Olympiakos for an initial transfer fee of £29.8 million (€35 million), with a further £1.7 million (€2 million) in bonus payments.
This deal represents by far the highest sum ever received by a Greek club, surpassing the £16.6 million Wolverhampton Wanderers paid for Daniel Podence from Olympiakos in 2020.
If Brighton pay the aforementioned bonus payments, Kostoulas will become the most expensive Greek player in history, beating Napoli’s £30.6 million paid for Kostas Manolas from Roma in 2019.
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Kostoulas will be the second Greek teenage striker to join Brighton this year, after 19-year-old Stefanos Tzimas signed in January for a reported £20 million, before spending the rest of last year on loan at Nuremberg.
Brighton completes the signing of “outstanding” Kostoulas
“Charalampos is an outstanding young player and we are delighted that 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’ll give us more attacking options, and we’re looking forward to helping him adapt to his new environment.”
Manchester United reportedly sent scouts to see Kostoulas towards the end of last year and made contact about a potential transfer, while Arsenal have also previously shown interest in Brighton’s new signing.
Kostoulas has established himself as one of Europe’s biggest talents since breaking through to the first team of Greek champion club Olympiakos, after impressing at youth level.
Thanking fans, friends, family, club and teammates.
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He made his professional debut at the age of just 15 for Olympiakos B in the Greek second division in January 2023, thus becoming the club’s youngest player ever, ahead of Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
Kostoulas, who can play as a central striker, winger or attacking midfielder, helped Olympiakos win the UEFA Youth League – the youth version of the Champions League – in 2023/24 with five goals in eight games.
The Greek U21 international finished last year with seven goals in 22 appearances for the first team in the Greek Super League, and now he can look forward to testing himself in the Premier League.
Kostoulas’ arrival at Brighton comes as Joao Pedro faces an uncertain future at the club, with reported interest from several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United.
