As of 17 September 2026, Kaoru Mitoma remains a Brighton player. He is contracted to the club until June 2027 and is still working his way back from the hamstring injury that ended his involvement last season in May. This update brings together the latest on his recovery timeline and the contract conversations that have rumbled on since Fabian Hürzeler addressed them back in March. For the background to this story, read our original report on Mitoma’s status.
Kaoru Mitoma Injury and Contract Latest: September 2026 Update
The headline facts have not changed since our last update, but they bear repeating given how often supporters search for them. Mitoma signed a four-year extension with Brighton in October 2023, a deal that runs until the summer of 2027 and places him on £80,000 a week, among the higher earners at the club.
He has not featured for Brighton since May, when a severe hamstring injury cut short his 2025/26 season and cost him a place at the World Cup with Japan. Recovery has continued through the summer and into September, with the club targeting a return around the middle of October.
Mitoma Contract Conversations Ongoing Under Hürzeler
Contract talk around Mitoma has run alongside the injury story for much of this year. Speaking to TEAMtalk in March, Hürzeler confirmed that discussions over his long-term future at the Amex were already underway, even as attention turned to his fitness.
Still in talks but also focusing on the things that are very important for the club, and I think that’s also the perspective from the player
That framing has held up well over the following months. Nothing made public since suggests those talks have stalled or broken down, and Mitoma’s existing deal, running to June 2027, gives both sides time to work through the details without any pressure of an imminent expiry.
Mitoma Fully Committed as Hamstring Recovery Continues
Hürzeler has been just as clear about Mitoma’s attitude during his time out injured. In the same TEAMtalk interview, the head coach praised the winger’s application in training despite his absence from matches.
He wants to give his best for Brighton because he’s fully committed; you can see it in every training session, you can see it in every performance that he gives his best, so therefore that’s the main focus.
Mitoma’s hamstring injury has kept him out of first-team action since May, ruling him out of the World Cup and the closing weeks of last season with Brighton. The club have not confirmed an exact date for his comeback, but a return to the matchday squad after the October international break is the realistic target as things stand.
Is Kaoru Mitoma Leaving Brighton F.C.?
Based on everything reported so far, no. Mitoma remains under contract at Brighton until June 2027, and both his manager and the club’s own conduct around the ongoing talks point towards a player being retained rather than one being moved on.
There is no reporting suggesting Mitoma has asked to leave, nor any indication that Brighton are looking to sell. The contract conversations described by Hürzeler in March are about extending his stay, not managing an exit, and his focus during his injury lay-off has been on getting fit for Brighton rather than any move away. Until there is fresh reporting to the contrary, the safest reading is that Mitoma’s long-term future remains at the Amex.
What Happens Next for Mitoma and Brighton
In the short term, Mitoma will not be involved this weekend. Brighton travel to face Coventry City in the Premier League on Sunday without him, continuing to manage his return without any rush.
His absence has left Hürzeler leaning on other attacking options, and the head coach has already rotated through his striker options under Hürzeler’s setup in recent weeks. Brighton have also shown they can find results without their key attackers, including in Brighton’s comeback win over Man Utd in the Carabao Cup.
Looking further ahead, the mid-October international break remains the point Mitoma and the club’s medical staff are working towards for his return to full training and, eventually, matchday squads. Nothing has been fixed for a specific fixture, and supporters should treat any talk of an exact comeback date as speculation until Brighton confirm otherwise. On the contract side, expect the conversations described by Hürzeler to continue quietly in the background, with no deadline forcing either party’s hand while his current deal runs to 2027.
