Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler insists Carlos Baleba’s absence from their final pre-season friendly was down to a minor knee issue not transfer talks
Carlos Baleba has been linked with a transfer from Brighton to Manchester United
Carlos Baleba has been linked with a transfer from Brighton to Manchester United
(Image: (Photo by Matt Impey/Shutterstock))
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has given an update on Carlos Baleba's situation after the 21-year-old was excluded from the club's final pre-season friendly yesterday.
Baleba has emerged as a top target for Manchester United this summer. Ruben Amorim's side have reportedly opened talks with Brighton to discuss a move for the Cameroon international.
If United are to push for a deal, they may need to offer a fee in the region of £100m to convince Brighton to let Baleba go, with the Seagulls having no intention of doing so.
As speculation regarding Baleba's future grew, his absence from Brighton's pre-season friendly against Wolfsburg yesterday sparked a host of new rumours.
It was confirmed, however, that he was missing from the squad due to a minor knee issue and it was not transfer-related. Hurzeler spoke about Baleba's fitness after Brighton's 2-1 victory.
Fabian Hurzeler has said that Baleba "will be back"
Fabian Hurzeler has said that Baleba "will be back"(Image: Getty Images)
The German boss said, as per The Argus: "He trained today, he trained yesterday, so we don’t want to take any risks, but he will be back."
With a £100m fee possibly on the line, Man United will want to make sure that Baleba is fit and injury-free, especially with just three weeks left in the summer transfer window.
Amorim has already completed his £200m attacking trio, with Benjamin Sesko the latest forward to join the club. Now, the Portuguese boss is looking for a strong defensive midfielder to fill the gap between his back line and a leading central player like Bruno Fernandes.
Baleba managed four goals and two assists last season in 40 appearances for the Seagulls, but it was his composure and strength in midfield that, at such a young age, made him a standout performer at the AMEX week in, week out.
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