Newcastle United Submit €24 Million Bid for Nigerian Teenager Zadok Yohanna in Transfer Battle with Brighton

Newcastle United have reportedly lodged a €24 million bid to acquire Nigerian teenager Zadok Yohanna from Swedish Allsvenskan side AIK, according to transfer insider Florian Plettenberg. The move signals the Magpies’ serious intent to secure one of European football’s most sought-after young prospects ahead of the summer transfer window.

Yohanna, 18, operates as a right winger and has attracted sustained interest from multiple top European clubs in recent months. Brighton & Hove Albion had appeared to be frontrunners in the pursuit, having already reached an agreement on personal terms with the player. Newcastle’s reported bid now complicates that picture significantly, setting up a direct transfer battle between two Premier League clubs.

The Tyneside club’s financial position has been bolstered by the €80 million sale of English winger Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, a windfall that is reportedly underpinning their capacity to compete at the top end of the market for Yohanna’s signature. Club officials are said to be confident they can outmanoeuvre Brighton despite the Seagulls’ earlier progress in negotiations.

German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig had also previously registered interest in the AIK forward, but sources suggest they withdrew from contention as the player’s valuation climbed sharply. That departure has left the transfer battle largely between the two English clubs, with Newcastle now applying direct financial pressure.

Yohanna is a product of the Ikon Allah FC academy and has developed into one of the standout young talents in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top domestic division. The teenager is understood to be on the verge of earning his first senior call-up with the Nigeria national team, the Super Eagles, adding further prestige to a transfer that has captured the attention of clubs across the continent.

As of 3 June 2026, no official confirmation of a completed deal has been issued by Newcastle United, AIK, or Brighton & Hove Albion. Should a transfer be finalised, Yohanna would become one of the most high-profile Nigerian teenagers to move to the Premier League in recent years, joining a market that has increasingly looked to West Africa for emerging wide attacking talent.

The outcome of this transfer will likely hinge on AIK’s valuation and whether Newcastle’s reported €24 million offer meets or exceeds it, as well as the player’s own preference between the two suitors. Brighton’s existing personal terms agreement with Yohanna could still prove decisive if the Swedish club accepts a lower or comparable fee.