'We'll see' - Brighton boss responds to Georginio Rutter question amid £40m Leeds United exit links

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler would not be drawn into specific transfer business but suggested the club remain active this summer, with a move for Leeds United’s Georginio Rutter gathering pace.

Brighton triggered Rutter’s £40million release clause late on Wednesday evening, just hours before it expired at midnight, having seen earlier bids of £29m and £35m knocked back by those in charge at Elland Road. Leeds are willing to offer the 22-year-old improved terms in a desperate bid to keep him on board but a move to the south coast is looking increasingly likely.

Just how Brighton came to learn of Rutter’s clause remains to be seen, and there has been no suggestion that Leeds informed them, but the promise of top-flight football with a stable club could prove the difference. The Seagulls get their season underway this weekend in what will be Hurzeler’s first competitive game in charge, and the 31-year-old remained tight-lipped on his side’s transfer plans.

“First of all, I'm very happy with the squad we already have,” Hurzeler told reporters when quizzed on Rutter ahead of Brighton’s trip to Everton on Saturday. “Of course, it is also our job to see if there is any player who fits our profile and style of play, and of course the character is very important for us. If there might be a fit, we will see what happens but [regarding] negotiations or players we want to see in our squad, I will never say anything.”

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Rutter did feature off the bench during Wednesday’s dismal 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat at home to Middlesbrough and was reportedly ‘in tears’ after what could have been his final game for the club. The French youth international has played in both fixtures so far this season but while there is faint hope he will stay, a move to the AMEX now looks more likely than not.

Developments appear to be moving fast as Leeds look set to lose another first-team regular via the activations of a release clause, having seen Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville join Tottenham and West Ham respectively for a combined £65m. Neither has been fully replaced as of yet and the likely exit of Rutter, with just two weeks of the transfer window remaining, leaves a major gap to be filled.

Manager Daniel Farke will be in front of the media on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s trip to West Brom and is expected to be asked about Rutter, with pressure already mounting after two poor results from two. The Whites were minutes away from losing their Championship opener at home to Portsmouth, eventually drawing 3-3, and were outplayed by Michael Carrick’s Boro on Wednesday.

There is also growing pressure on the club’s recruitment chiefs and those above Farke, with Rutter’s expected departure to take player sales over £100m, with only £15m spent so far on Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle. Farke suggested before Summerville’s exit that he wanted to strengthen in two key areas - central midfield and full-back - and the German now needs replacements for last season’s two most productive stars as well.