Brighton agree surprise deal to re-sign Pascal Gross from Borussia Dortmund just a year after selling Germany international

In a new report from transfer guru Romano, Brighton have reportedly reached an agreement with Dortmund to sign Gross on a permanent basis. The report claims the 34-year-old’s return to East Sussex is “imminent” and that a medical is due to take place in the next 48 hours.

The news comes after Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler revealed earlier in December that he and the club’s hierarchy had held discussions over the possibility of adding to his squad next month.

“We have [had talks], definitely, because we have regular exchanges,” Hurzeler said before his side’s 2-1 loss at Premier League leaders Arsenal last Saturday. “We always try to understand what is best for the club, to understand what is best for individual players. And, yeah, the transfer market will be open and let’s see if we will be active.”

And when pressed on whether there are any specific areas of the squad he is looking to strengthen in January, Brighton boss Hurzeler preferred to remain coy, saying: “No, I won’t say.”

But it now appears Brighton are preparing to bolster their midfield ranks with the arrival of Gross - just over a year after he bid farewell to the club by joining his boyhood club Dortmund for an initial £8 million (€9m/$11m) in August 2024.

While Romano has not mentioned a fee, The Athletic are reporting Brighton will pay just under €2m (£1.7m/$2.35m), with a further €1m in potential bonuses, to bring Gross back to the Amex Stadium.

Gross made 49 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund last season, scoring his only goal in a 3-0 win at Portuguese side Sporting CP in the Champions League in February.

He also recorded four assists in Dortmund’s 6-0 thrashing of Union Berlin in the Bundesliga in the same month, becoming just the third player in German top-flight history to achieve the feat.

After moving to England from German side Ingolstadt in 2017, Gross went on to become a Brighton legend during his seven-year stint on the south coast. He was the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League, before his 30-goal haul was surpassed by Danny Welbeck (41) last season.

In his 261 appearances for Brighton, Gross played a key role in helping the club become an established Premier League outfit, scoring nine league goals to help his old side finish sixth in 2022-23, securing the club’s maiden European campaign via qualification for the Europa League.

Expressing his “disappointment” at not previously getting the chance to work with Gross, Hurzeler - who was appointed as Roberto De Zerbi’s successor last summer - said: “We are really sorry to lose Pascal, but we fully understood his situation.

“It is understandable that he wanted to take the opportunity to join one of the very top clubs in Germany, and he goes with our best wishes for the future.”

Gross has also earned 16 caps for Germany, scoring his only goal in a friendly against Greece in June 2024. He went on to represent his country at the 2024 European Championship on home soil.

Gross wrote an open letter to Brighton supporters following his switch to Dortmund, saying he “will be back at some point.”

He said: ”There are so many people I would like to thank; the three coaches I played for (Chris Hughton, Graham Potter, De Zerbi), Tony Bloom, Paul Barber, all my team-mates across the seven years, the unsung heroes behind the scenes in the coaching, analysis, medical, catering, player liaison, security, media teams, and right across the club. They put so much into what makes this club so special.

“And to the fans, who have been amazing since the day I arrived, thank you. I'm sorry to be leaving you, but I hope I will get a chance to say goodbye and thank you in person at a match very soon.

“I don't know what the future holds, after playing, but the club means so much to me and my family. I know I will be back at some point in the future, even if it's just as a fan to support the club.”

Should the deal go through as expected, Brighton will be hoping Gross can have an immediate impact in the second half of the 2025-26 season, with Hurzeler’s side 14th in the table.

The club are currently on a six-match winless streak, having earned two draws with West Ham United in December, while they also shared the spoils with Sunderland earlier this month.

Brighton were also beaten by Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal - three teams inside the top four - over the festive period. They return to action when they host Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Niko Kovac's Dortmund are currently second in the Bundesliga table, nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Gross featured in 11 of their 15 league fixtures this season.