Matías Orozco moves from Deportivo Cali to Brighton & Hove Albion for 4.8 million euros

Eighteen years old, a five-year contract and a direct leap from Palmaseca to the Premier League. Matías Orozco is now a Brighton & Hove Albion player, and his transfer has become one of those stories that stirs excitement in Colombian soccer: that of a young man who came up through Deportivo Cali's youth ranks and, in less than a year, went from making his professional debut to signing in England.

The English club confirmed the deal on social media, posting a photo of the midfielder already in the team's kit. The statement was brief and didn't get into figures:

We are pleased to confirm the signing of Matías Orozco from Deportivo Cali on a five-year contract for undisclosed terms.Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton chose not to release financial details, but various reports on the negotiation put the transfer fee at around 4.8 million euros (close to 3.6 million pounds) for 85% of the player's sporting rights. The remaining 15% would stay with Deportivo Cali for a future sale. If that figure holds up, this would be one of the highest transfer fees the Valle del Cauca club has landed in recent years, no small thing for an institution that has gone through some financially difficult seasons.

To seal the deal, Orozco traveled to Europe with his agent, Leonardo Daza, and there completed the usual steps in these cases: visa paperwork, medical exams and the final signing of the contract. Nothing unusual, but still a process that tends to take longer than one might expect when a change of continent is involved.

From attacking midfielder to defensive midfielder

Orozco joined Cali's youth academy in 2022, and that's where his career began to take shape. He made his first-team debut in June 2025 and, by the first half of 2026, had already earned a regular starting spot. What's interesting is how his role evolved: he started out as an attacking midfielder, but over the months he dropped deeper on the field to take on ball-winning and build-up duties. That combination of recovery skills, good technique, vision and a strong shot was exactly what began drawing the attention of European scouts.

His name is also familiar within Colombia's youth national teams. He's been an important piece in the Under-20 setup, even wearing the captain's armband in some matches, which says a lot about how he's viewed within the national team environment.

So what's next? According to reports from British outlets like The Argus, Brighton hasn't ruled out sending him out on loan to another club so he can rack up minutes before competing for a spot in the first team. It's a formula the Premier League club has used often with its young prospects, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see it repeated with the Colombian midfielder.