Swansea's Ryan Harley completes Brighton move

Ryan Harley began his career with Bristol City

Swansea City midfielder Ryan Harley has completed his move to Championship side Brighton for an undisclosed fee.

The Seagulls originally tried to sign Harley in January but he joined Swansea on a three-and-a-half-year deal after Exeter rejected a bid from Brighton.

"I was on the verge of coming here in January and maybe I should have done that," Harley, 26, told BBC Sussex.

Harley has signed a three-year deal, but Brighton still await international clearance from the Welsh FA.

"I'm really excited," added Harley. "I was keen to come knowing that [Brighton boss] Gus Poyet has always liked me.

"The type of football Brighton play should suit me. I like to get forward, get on the ball, create and score goals. That's what I've come here to do."

The Bristol-born player did not make a senior appearance for Swansea, having stayed at Exeter on loan in January following his signing.

But, despite the Swans' promotion under manager Brendan Rodgers, he was happy to drop out of the Premier League to get first-team football.

"The manager at Swansea had his team set early on in pre-season," said Harley, who was in the crowd for Brighton's 3-1 win at Cardiff last Wednesday night. "I didn't want to wait around for a chance that might take a while to come.

"I'm keen to play. There's a good squad here at Brighton. I watched the game against Cardiff and I was really impressed. That made my mind up that I wanted to come here."