Brighton’s Marc Cucurella hands in transfer request

Having sold Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, Manchester City turned their attention to Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella.

The former Barcelona academy graduate had a breakout season with Brighton and caught the attention of Pep Guardiola. Given the vast resources of City’s owners, a deal seemed to be a matter of time.

However, the negotiations have been slow.

With talks stalled, Cucurella has reportedly handed in a transfer request in order to facilitate a move.

According to SkySports, City have had a £30 million bid rejected as Brighton value Cucurella at £50 million. It’s the difference in the transfer fee that has put the deal on standby.

Brighton would like to hang to to Cucurella but the player wants a move to the defending Premier League champions.

When asked about Cucurella, Guardiola was measured in his statement.

"“He’s a Brighton player. I cannot say anything else,” said Guardiola. “If it’s possible [to strengthen we will] but if not, we stay with the players we have.Source: Manchester Evening News"

With Zinchenko gone, Joao Cancelo is City’s only choice at left-back. Should Cancelo suffer an injury and have to miss time, City would be in trouble. Cancelo had to cover for Kyle Walker when Walker was out injured, exposing their lack of depth at the left-back position.

Cucurella would certainly solve that issue and having already acclimated to the Premier League and understanding the type of football Guardiola wants his team to play, there is little question he would be a smart addition.

Brighton are remaining firm in their valuation and it’s why Cucurella handed in the transfer request. With the league set to start on August 6, time is running out for a deal to be reached.