Brighton reach verbal agreement to sign Chema Andrés from Stuttgart

Brighton & Hove Albion have reached a verbal agreement with VfB Stuttgart to sign Chema Andrés, with the Spanish midfielder undergoing a deadline-day medical as the clubs work to complete the transfer.

Sky Germany reports that Brighton have agreed a deal worth up to €23 million for the 21-year-old, including potential add-ons, with Stuttgart also retaining a sell-on interest.

Fabrizio Romano has separately confirmed the agreement and reported that Chema’s medical is underway, although he has described the package at €22 million. The precise final value should therefore remain attributed until the clubs disclose the financial structure.

Neither Brighton nor Stuttgart have formally announced the transfer, leaving the move subject to the completion of the medical and final paperwork.

Real Madrid are set to receive a significant share of the proceeds. The Spanish club retained a 50 per cent interest when Chema left their academy for Stuttgart in July 2025, and AS reports that the clause is expected to generate approximately €11.5 million from the proposed Brighton transfer.

Chema joined Stuttgart for an initial fee reported at around €3 million and signed a contract running until June 2030. The 1.90m defensive midfielder had progressed through Real Madrid’s academy after arriving from Levante in 2018 and made three senior appearances for the Spanish club before moving to Germany.

His departure would therefore deliver Stuttgart a substantial return little more than a year after his arrival while giving Brighton another young central midfielder with experience in both Real Madrid’s development system and the Bundesliga.

The transfer is now significantly further advanced than earlier deadline-day reports suggested: Brighton and Stuttgart have reached a verbal agreement and Chema is undergoing his medical, but the deal remains short of official confirmation.