Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler believes that part of Carlos Baleba’s development is to overcome the distraction of being linked to Manchester United.
The highly-rated 21-year-old was identified as a primary target by the Red Devils during the summer transfer window when Ruben Amorim was looking to bolster his squad with a new midfielder.
However, Man United “went away” from negotiations over a deal for Baleba, according to Brighton chairman Tony Bloom, after they were informed by the Seagulls that the “massively important” midfielder was not for sale.
Baleba has since struggled to find his best form for Brighton and Hurzeler recently admitted that the Cameroon international’s early-season struggles could be related to the speculation surrounding his future.
Brighton’s No.17 is yet to play the full 90 minutes across 10 appearances for the club this season, but he has started in each of their last four Premier League games, in which the Seagulls have picked up eight points during an unbeaten run.
Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler on August 2, 2025
Hurzeler: ‘Baleba must overcome Man Utd rumours and noise’
Baleba continues to be linked with a big-money transfer to Man United, even though Hurzeler has already**ruled out the possibility of a January exit** for the midfielder.
Brighton travel to Old Trafford for their next Premier League game on Saturday and Hurzeler has encouraged Baleba to focus on what he can control and overcome the distraction of transfer speculation in order to perform at his best for the Seagulls.
Sharing his thoughts on how rumours of interest from Man United might affect Baleba, Hurzeler told reporters of Friday: "I think it's the next step for him as a person, as a personality to overcome the rumours and the noise because it's only the noise that tries to distract him from performing for us for Brighton.
"The main thing, and it's not only for us here regarding development, in general for his career he needs to focus on what he can control because he can't influence the rumours and the noise, only the things he does on the pitch."
Baleba, who is in contention to start against Man United, is under contract at the Amex Stadium until June 2028 and is believed to be valued in excess of £100m.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba on September 27, 2025
Baleba ‘getting back to his shape’ ahead of Man Utd clash
Hurzeler has acknowledged that Baleba has shown signs that he is getting back to his best, adding: "I think it's very important to understand that we saw some really good actions from Baleba against Newcastle (who Brighton beat 2-1 last weekend) and I'm pleased to hear this.
"It's always the most important how a player feels, that he feels like he's getting back to his own.
"Now it's about all the behaviours that he showed against Newcastle and making them into habits, if you do it consistently, daily business, every training showing these behaviours and actions then you get habits.
"I feel also that he's getting back more and more to his shape and hopefully he can continue with that performance tomorrow."
Some will argue that Baleba can use Saturday’s game as a transfer audition in front of Man United chiefs Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, but the midfielder is required to deliver strong performances on a consistent basis, and not just turn up when he feels the time is right, if he wishes to join a top club in the future.
Man United are known to have other midfielders on their radar, with the likes of Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson and Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller all earmarked as potential targets.
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