Sunderland have signed forward, Brian Brobbey from Ajax in a £21.3m transfer.
Sunderland’s move for Brobbey only came about after Chelsea negotiated the return of Marc Guiu from his loan spell due to an injury-crisis at the West London club.
The Black Cats subsequently swooped for Brobbey as a permanent replacement for Guiu with a £17.3m fixed fee plus £4m in add-ons, which could see the total fee reach £21.3m for the 23-year-old who has signed a five-year contract until June 2030.
The 23-year-old is happy to make the move and reunite with ex RB Leipzig teammate, Nordi Mukiele, who he had held discussions with following the Black Cats’ initial contact.
“It feels great to be a Sunderland player. I spoke with Nordi Mukiele, who I know from my time in RB Leipzig, and he told me about the Club, the fans, and how it feels like a family.
“I first talked with Sunderland over a month ago, and I have seen the stadium and the fans this season, and I can’t wait to be a part of that passion. It’s emotional to say goodbye to Ajax, as I grew up here and I’m going to miss everyone, but the Premier League is the biggest stage in the world, and I’m ready for this next chapter.”
Sunderland’s Sporting Director, Kristjaan Speakman added: “Brian is a player that we have been tracking throughout the summer, and he’s a really interesting player for us to acquire, as he’s a different profile to the other forwards we have in the squad.
“The timing of this opportunity was perfect, and he matched our ambition to find a forward capable of significantly enhancing the team. We are delighted to have him at Sunderland, and look forward to watching him take this next step with us in the Premier League.”
Brobbey began his career at Netherlands’ AFC before he joined Ajax’s youth academy in 2010 but it was another decade before he broke through into their senior squad, which culminated in a goal on his debut in October 2020 in a 5-2 Eredivisie victory over Fortuna Sittard.
He however moved to Germany’s RB Leipzig on a free transfer at the end of that season after he netted six goals in 19 appearances, yet struggled to settle at Leipzig in 14 appearances and was loaned back to Ajax in January 2022 where he scored seven goals in 13 appearances.
Across those two seasons, Brobbey won Eredivisie titles with Ajax plus KNVB Cup in 2020-21 season which saw Ajax subsequently buy him back in July 2022 and saw him saw 44 goals in 131 appearances across last three seasons.
Brobbey has scored one goal in eight senior caps for Netherlands.
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