Manchester City have reportedly agreed personal terms with full-back Marc Cucurella and are in advanced negotiations to finalise a transfer fee with Brighton.
According to Football Insider, Manchester City are inching closer to signing left-back target Marc Cucurella after agreeing personal terms with the Spaniard and are in advanced talks to sort out a transfer fee with the Seagulls.
The reigning Premier League champions have yet to reach a full agreement due to the disparity over the player valuation, but they are increasingly confident that they will seal the deal in the coming days.
The Cityzens have wasted little time in bolstering their team after winning the Premier League for the fourth time in the last five seasons. They kicked off the summer transfer season by adding the world’s best young striker, Erling Haaland, to their roster, while promising Argentine attacker Julian Alvarez has also arrived from River Plate.
However, it appears they have no plans to slow down there either. Manchester City are also on the lookout for a holding midfielder to replace captain Fernandinho, as well as a natural left-back.
While City’s lack of a recognised No. 9 has regularly made headlines, one would be forgiven for forgetting that, with Benjamin Mendy suspended by the club, Pep Guardiola’s side were also operating without a natural left-back. Joao Cancelo filled in at left-back and showed spectacular form on his unnatural flank last season, while Oleksandr Zinchenko deputised admirably when called upon.
With Zinchenko poised to leave this summer, Marc Cucurella has been identified as Manchester City’s top target to reinforce the left-back slot. Pep Guardiola has had his eyes on him for a while now, as the Catalan coach considers Cucurella as the ideal candidate to operate in an attacking left-back role.
The 23-year-old only joined the Seagulls last summer from Getafe for a fee of around £16 million, but the Spanish left-back has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. Cucurella picked up Brighton’s Player of the Season award for his stellar performances last term.
Cucurella made 35 Premier League starts for Graham Potter’s side and was one of the major driving forces behind their top-half finish. To put his standout performances into context, he ranked third in the division for most chances created from open play, third for the most tackles made, and first for most ball recoveries made among his positional peers this past season.
Needless to say, Cucurella’s performances attracted interest from a host of Premier League top guns, including Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, but the former Barcelona academy ace prefers a move to the Etihad Stadium and is now on the verge of a move to the Etihad Stadium, having reached an agreement over personal terms.
Brighton hold all the cards for this deal. Having recently sold Yves Bissouma to Tottenham for £25 million, they are under no pressure to sell another key player in Cucurella, who has four years left on his contract. Should Manchester City get a deal for the 23-year-old over the line in the next few days, it could pave the way for another Etihad exit in Zinchenko, who has been linked with a move to Everton.
