Brighton manager Chris Hughton looks to sign Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun

SUPER Eagles centreback Leon Balogun may be coming to the English Premiership next season as Brighton & Hove manager Chris Hughton has made enquiries about signing him on a free transfer.

Balogun, 29, has just ended the season with Mainz in Germany's Bundesliga and is out of contract as he heads to the World Cup with the Super Eagles. Regarded as the rock of the Nigerian defence, Balogun is due to feature for Nigeria when the Eagles face England at Wembley on June 2 and will be a key player in Russia.

However, Hughton, who performed a miracle with Brighton this season, keeping them in the Premiership despite the club being newly promoted and operating on a tight budget, is looking to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season. he has already eyed Super Eagles winger Ahmed Musa and is hoping to bring in Balogun too to shore up his backline.

Currently with 16 caps for Nigeria, Balogun has recovered from an injury which made him miss a lot of the season, limiting his appearances to 15 for Mainz. He may be ideal for  Brighton as Hughton needs defensive cover to his squad having seen Uwe Hunemeier leave the club to SC Paderborn recently.