'I pushed for the deal to go through' – Brighton confirm latest midfield exit amid Billy Gilmour transfer update

Marc Leonard has completed a permanent move to League One side Birmingham City, for a fee believed to be in the region of £500,000.

The Scottish midfielder departs having made two first team appearances for the Seagulls, with both of those coming in the EFL Cup.

Leonard, speaking to the Birmingham FC website, said: "Based on where I am in my career and where Birmingham are trying to get to, I just felt like the ambition of this club really matched my own.

"I felt like the time was right [to leave Brighton], and I knew that Blues was the club that I wanted to play for so I really pushed for the deal to go through."

The 22-year-old joined Brighton from Hearts in 2018 and played for both the under-18s and under-21s – captaining the latter – before spending the last two seasons on loan with Northampton Town.

Technical director David Weir said, “Marc developed well in our academy and then had a really strong two years out on loan with Northampton Town, so this move to Birmingham City is a great opportunity for him. We’re pleased to have been a part of Marc’s journey and we wish him the best of luck for the future.”

Brighton are currently on a pre-season trip to Japan and yesterday beat Kashima Antlers 5-1 thanks to goals from Yankuba Minteh, Jeremy Sarmiento, Yasin Ayari and and brace from Amario Cozier-Duberry.

Central midfield remains a concern for new head coach Fabian Hurzeler as the future of Pascal Gross remains in doubt while Napoli continue their pursuit of Billy Gilmour.

The Italian’s initial bid of £8m was rejected by Brighton but Napoli are expected to return with a higher offer for the Scotland international.

“We have turned down one offer from them,” said Brighton chief Paul Barber earlier this week. “Billy has been an important player for us and we're very keen to keep Billy. He’s a fantastic footballer and a great character around this squad.”