Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross for an initial fee of £8m.

The Germany international spent seven years on the south coast after joining Brighton from German club Ingolstadt in 2017.

The 33-year-old is Brighton’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League with 30 goals, and in all competitions he scored 32 times and laid on 52 assists in 261 appearances for the Seagulls.

Brighton wanted to keep Gross but the German had expressed a desire to play for boyhood club Dortmund, who could end up paying £10m for the midfielder with add-ons.

“We are really sorry to lose Pascal, but we fully understood his situation,” said Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler.

“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.”

Hurzeler added he was “disappointed” not to get the chance to work with Gross at the club.

Gross was Brighton’s first signing after their promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

Brighton’s Gross joins boyhood club Dortmund