Seb Carole is on his way to Leeds - without Albion receiving a penny for their talented French winger.

Carole is joining the Yorkshire giants on a free transfer, a blow softened for the Seagulls by their first signing of the summer.

They have snapped up former Cambridge United striker Alex Revell from non-league Braintree Town.

Carole signed a two-year contract with Albion last August when moving from Monaco on a free transfer but had a clause inserted allowing him to leave for nothing if they were relegated.

The Seagulls paid Carole's agent an undisclosed five-figure fee but chairman Dick Knight insisted today the whole deal was "very good business" for the club.

Knight said: "If that clause hadn't gone in then Seb's wages over the two years would have been higher and the signing-on fee would have been more, so it was a no-brainer.

"If we'd had to buy him on the open market he would have cost around £350,000.

"West Ham had offered 600,000 Euros to buy him a few months before we signed him.

"We fought hard to keep him but the agent has persuaded Seb to go."

Carole is expected to put pen to paper on a two or three-year deal with Leeds before they report back for pre-season training on July 3.

The 23-year-old impressed Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell and chairman Ken Bates when he scored and starred for the Seagulls in a 3-3 draw at Elland Road last September.

His imminent departure after two goals in 41 games has rocked manager Mark McGhee's bid to get Albion promoted again from League One following their relegation from the Championship.

McGhee said: "I am very disappointed. We gave Seb the opportunity to come here and be part of the team.

"Regardless of that clause the decent thing for him to do would have been to stay, at least at the start of the season.

"I think he's a player that would have been a major help in us getting out of this division."

McGhee will now have to find a replacement for Carole. He said: "We have alternatives on the right like Harty (Gary Hart) and Reidy (Paul Reid) but we'll be looking for a winger as opposed to a midfield player who can fit in there."

Albion's other French winger, Alex Frutos, has the same release clause in his two-year contract but the former Metz man is being offered revised terms.

Knight revealed: "I'm in the process of making a new offer to Alex. We want to keep him and I'm reasonably confident."

Meanwhile, Albion have beaten off competition for Revell's signature from League One rivals Tranmere and Brentford, plus Boston and a couple of Conference clubs.

The prolific 22-year-old has signed a one-year contract with the option of another year after training with Albion for a day last season.

"It's a dream come true for me," he said. "It's been a long time waiting for it to happen but it's fantastic to come to a club with the fans that are here and the manager here. I couldn't ask for any more."

McGhee said: "We had him down training last year and watched him on lots of occasions since.

"He's six foot plus, not a target man, but he's scored a lot of goals, is a nice mover and a good athlete with the potential to contribute.

"Whether he plays every game and scores 25 goals remains to be seen but we think he's good enough to be given the opportunity."