Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler has joked that the only thing that has changed about Carlos Baleba in the past couple of weeks is his hairstyle, Afrosport reports.
The 23-year-old Cameroon defensive midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United with discussions reportedly going on between the Seagulls and Red Devils.
Brighton have however made their position clear that Baleba will not be sold in this summer transfer window, with Hurzeler certain the former Lille player will be with them for the 2025-26 season.
“I didn’t see any change, he’s only changed his hair. I think that’s the change he’s made in the last two weeks,” the German tactician said when asked about Baleba’s future ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener with Fulham.
“But overall he seems to be in a really good place, he’s enjoying it with his team-mates, he’s enjoying being a Brighton player.
“I didn’t see any big changes and he’s an option to start [against Fulham]”.
When further pressed on how confident he was about Baleba staying at Brighton, Hurzeler said: “Very very very confident, that’s just my belief”.
All smiles in the sunshine! 😁 pic.twitter.com/Si9rOfRhAn
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 15, 2025
Baleba played 40 times in all competitions last season as Brighton finished eighth in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on qualification for the UEFA Conference League by just four points.
