Brighton’s Hurzeler confirms Baleba and Minteh unavailable amid transfer links

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·21 August 2026

Brighton’s Hurzeler confirms Baleba and Minteh unavailable amid transfer links

Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Carlos Baleba and Yankuba Minteh are ‘unavailable’ for Brighton amid ongoing transfer interest.

Brighton are in talks with Manchester United over the transfer of Baleba, with optimism from both sides that a deal will be done.

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Minteh, meanwhile, has received an approach from Liverpool, which Brighton have turned down. The latter is dealing with an injury issue and Hurzeler confirmed neither player will feature when Brighton begin their Premier League campaign against Aston Villa this weekend.

“Carlos [Baleba] and [Yankuba] Minteh, they won’t be available. Then Kaoru [Mitoma] is still in his rehab, Stefanos Tzimas is still in his rehab, so therefore I think these four players, they will miss out,” he said at his pre-match press conference.

“Besides that, we have no new injuries.”

Asked specifically about Baleba’s situation, Hurzeler said the midfielder’s absence was due to being ‘unfit’. He added that he cannot ‘control’ the noise around the media regarding transfers.

“He is our player and I will never comment on any rumours that are currently in the media. It’s also something I definitely can’t control.

“There are rumours about the important players for us because they were a big part of the journey the last two years, but in football you all have to understand that it’s normal if you’re successful as a team, if the team is doing well, there’s some good achievements then the individual can shine and then of course there will be a big ask for players.

“That’s part of our identity, that’s part of my job here.

“We also know that good achievements, big achievements, especially in the Premier League, you create offers, you create a lot of attention and so therefore we have to wait now.”