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Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Mon 30 March 2026 16:15, UK

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Brighton do not want Fabian Hurzeler to leave the club and will demand a hefty compensation fee from Bayer Leverkusen if they wish to appoint him as their new manager soon.

Leverkusen have been linked to Hurzeler over the last week amid uncertainty around Kasper Hjulmand’s position in charge.

They are reportedly considering a change of boss in the summer as the club plans to take a new direction, with Hurzeler a leading candidate to be approached to be their next manager.

As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Brighton have no plans to lose the 33-year-old’s services anytime soon.

They will stand in the way of an exit following a recent upturn in form that has seen them enter European contention with seven games left to play.

Brighton will stand firm in keeping Fabian Hurzeler this summer

Hurzeler’s own position at the Amex Stadium was being questioned in the early stages of the season, but he has proved the doubters wrong by guiding Brighton into 10th place as it stands.

He already has plenty of experience in the German game, after guiding St Pauli to promotion to the Bundesliga, but Brighton do not want him to return to his homeland with Leverkusen anytime soon.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “I don’t think Brighton will be contemplating letting Fabian Hurzeler leave.

“They’ll want to keep him, especially now that he’s turned things around and is getting a tune out of the team as well.

“He’s under contract until 2027 so it would take a significant compensation fee to sort of break this contract if Leverkusen do firm up their interest in Fabian Hurzeler.

“As of right now, I think Brighton have no plans to lose Hurzeler and we’ll be hoping they can keep hold of the German for the immediate future.”

Brighton considering Carl Rushworth sale amid Coventry interest

Brighton do not want Hurzeler to leave, but loanee goalkeeper Rushworth could make a permanent exit from the club in the summer.

He is currently in the midst of a season-long loan at Championship leaders Coventry, and has kept a league-high 14 clean sheets in 39 games so far this term.

They want him to stay permanently if they seal promotion to the Premier League, and Football Insider have recently revealed that Brighton are open to selling Rushworth for the right price.

Hurzeler’s future could well dictate what happens, as if he does leave, the Seagulls’ next manager may want to give Rushworth a chance in 2026-27.