Brighton push for Femi Azeez after Millwall reject two bids

Brighton & Hove Albion are preparing to intensify their pursuit of Femi Azeez after Millwall rejected two approaches for the Nigeria international, with the Premier League club facing a significant valuation gap if they are to complete a deal before the transfer deadline.

Brighton’s latest proposal is understood to have been worth just over £10 million, but Millwall consider that figure well below their valuation of one of last season’s outstanding Championship attackers.

The Seagulls are nevertheless expected to continue pushing for the 25-year-old after identifying him as a potential late-window addition to Fabian Hürzeler’s attacking options.

According to The Athletic, Brighton have already made two attempts to sign Azeez. Both have been rejected, leaving the next move with a club that must decide whether to increase its offer significantly or walk away from a player Millwall are under little pressure to sell.

That leverage is important.

Azeez remains contracted to Millwall until 2028 and enters the final stage of the window following a breakthrough campaign in which he established himself among the Championship’s most productive wide players.

He scored 11 league goals last season and was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year as Millwall reached the play-offs. Local reporting credits him with eight assists across the league campaign, underlining the combination of scoring and chance creation that has attracted Premier League attention.

Brighton’s interest therefore fits a familiar recruitment profile.

Azeez is 25, can operate from either flank and has demonstrated that he can produce consistently in a demanding domestic competition without requiring the club to project his potential purely from youth-level or overseas performances.

His game is built around direct attacking actions.

Azeez can carry possession at defenders, attack space beyond the full-back and arrive in scoring positions rather than operating exclusively as a touchline winger. That capacity to threaten both outside and inside would give Hürzeler another way of changing Brighton’s attacking structure during games.

There is also evidence that his development has accelerated beyond club football.

Azeez made his Nigeria debut earlier this year and scored twice against Zimbabwe in the Unity Cup before contributing again as the Super Eagles beat Jamaica in the final.

Millwall’s position, however, remains strong.

They signed Azeez from Reading for around £1 million in 2024 and have since seen his value rise sharply after two seasons at The Den. With two years still remaining on his contract, there is no contractual pressure forcing the Championship club into a deadline sale.

That helps explain why Brighton’s opening attempts have not been enough.

A bid slightly above £10 million would already represent a substantial return on Millwall’s original investment, but the Lions are assessing the value of losing one of their most important attackers as well as the transfer fee itself.

Replacing Azeez this late in the window would carry its own cost.

Millwall would need either an immediate replacement or sufficient compensation to justify weakening Alex Neil’s attacking options after the season has already begun.

Other clubs have also monitored the situation.

Hull City have previously shown interest, while European teams have been linked with Azeez during the summer, adding another reason for Millwall to resist accepting a proposal they believe falls short of his market value.

Brighton must now decide how aggressively they want to pursue the deal.

Their interest is concrete.

Two bids have been made.

Both have been rejected.

The next development will determine whether this becomes a genuine deadline negotiation or another example of Millwall successfully holding their position over a player whose value has risen dramatically in the space of two years.