Brighton & Hove Albion signed Nigerian defender, Leon Balogun

The defender signed a two-year deal

An English Premier League side, Brighton & Hove Albion have signed Nigerian International Leon Balogun on a free transfer after his exit from Bundesliga side FSV Mainz.

He was unveiled today after completing the necessary process.

The 29-year-old agreed on a two-year contract with the Premier League club, who announced the deal had been completed on Tuesday.

“I am delighted to welcome Leon to the club. He will add more depth to our defensive options, and I am pleased to get our first piece of business done so early in the summer,” Brighton manager Chris Hughton said.

“He is in the peak years of his career and I am sure he will integrate well into the squad. “He also has valuable experience, having played in the Bundesliga, the Europa League and at international level.”

Balogun began his career at Turkiyemspor Berlin before spells with Hannover, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf and SV Darmstadt. He joined Mainz in July 2015, where the centre-back made a total of 58 appearances and helped them avoid relegation this season.

Germany-born Balogun is eligible to play for Nigeria through his father and has 14 caps for the Super Eagles. He has been named in the preliminary 30-man squad for Russia 2018 after helping the Super Eagles to qualify.