Brighton are wrapping up a deal for SC Paderborn captain Uwe Hünemeier.
Paderborn have confirmed the defender is now in England and has undergone a Brighton medical.
Brighton will sign the experienced defender for €2.5 million.
"Uwe informed us he wants to leave and made it abundantly clear that he intends to take up this challenge.
"Even our offer for a further extension of his contract could not change his mind. His departure is a great sporting loss," said Paderborn chief Michael Born.
"Uwe can earn considerably more than with us, we get a transfer fee in seven figures, in a few months we would have received less than half of this, we have decided in England, to facilitate the transfer now."