Manchester City are reportedly not prepared to offer more than £50 million to sign Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer.
According to 90 min, Manchester City are interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella in the summer transfer window, identifying the Spaniard as their primary target to replace outgoing Nathan Ake. But the Premier League champions do not wish to spend more than £50 million on the deal to land him.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a fantastic debut season with the Seagulls after moving from Getafe in a bargain £16 million deal. The Spanish full-back not only excelled in left wing-back and left-back roles but also shone in a more unfamiliar role as a left centre-back.
Regarded as one of the best attacking full-backs in the division, Cucurella made 35 appearances for Brighton in the 2021/22 Premier League season, all of which were starts, and was also named their Player of the Year. This form helped him earn his first cap for Spain, and his progress has not gone unnoticed, with top clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester City taking an interest in him.
Manchester City, in particular, have been monitoring Cucurella for a while now, and recent reportsl claimed that a deal to take Cucurella to Manchester City was close to being completed. The two parties have agreed to personal terms already, with Manchester City and Brighton in advanced negotiations regarding a fee.
However, according to Brighton owner Tony Bloom, the Sussex-based outfit have yet to receive a bid for their prized asset. But he has hinted that if Manchester City submit a reasonable offer, the Seagulls would not necessarily stand in the way of Cucurella and will consider the proposal.
Brighton are looking to recoup £50 million, but Manchester City have held their stance firm from the onset that they will not pay the exorbitant sum. The former Barcelona man, who still has four years left on his contract, is said to be interested in joining Manchester City. But Brighton are asking for a fee that the Premier League champions consider too steep.
The Spanish full-back could be a useful addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad, allowing Joao Cancelo to return to the right-back slot, with Kyle Walker well into his thirties. Left-back has been a long-running problem position for Manchester City, although the combo of Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko looked to have handled the workload admirably over recent seasons.
However, Guardiola wants a natural left-footer in the position, with Cucurella seen as an upgrade on Zinchenko, who could be offloaded alongside Ake this summer. But Brighton themselves will be looking to push on and begin to compete for the European spots. And after selling Yves Bissouma to Tottenham, they do not want to lose another star in Cucurella and have started talks with him about a possible renewal.
It remains to be seen if Manchester City and Brighton can arrive at a compromise on the transfer fee for the 23-year-old, with negotiations set to take place soon. But with Cucurella heading to Portugal for Brighton’s pre-season training camp, Manchester City are no closer to signing the Spanish full-back at the moment, contrary to recent rumours.
