Brighton boss 'very confident' Carlos Baleba will remain at the club this season

The Cameroon international is believed to be at the top of United's wishlist and speculation surrounding a potential move for the 21-year-old has intensified over the last week.

Ahead of their Premier League opener against Fulham, Hurzeler was asked how confident he is that Baleba will remain a Brighton player beyond the current transfer window.

He replied: "Very, very, very confident."

The Seagulls mentor also confirmed that Baleba "is an option to start" against Fulham and insisted that he has seen no change in the midfielder's mindset.

Hurzeler added: "I didn't see any change. He only changed his hair, so I think that was the only change he made in the last two weeks.

"But overall, he seems to be in a really good place. He's enjoying it with his teammates, he's enjoying being a Brighton player.

"He's very grateful to have the process he had in the last season, so I didn't see any big change, and he's an option to start for tomorrow."

Baleba has developed into one of the brightest deep-lying midfield prospects in the Premier League since joining Brighton from Lille in 2023, making 77 first-team appearances across all competitions.

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