Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund are reportedly both vying for the signature of Marc Cucurella, whose Barcelona deal is set to expire at the end of the season.
The Daily Mirror are reporting that Manchester City are showing interest in Barcelona wonderkid Marc Cucurella. The Citizens, though, will have to battle Borussia Dortmund for the player, who looks set to leave the Catalans in the summer.
Marc Cucurella is another gem of the fabled La Masia academy and has even broken into the Barcelona B side, plying his trade in the third division of Spanish football, while also being a regular in the UEFA Youth League for the Catalans.
At 18, the player has four Under-19 international appearances for Spain and is highly touted to be a superstar in the near future. However, Cucurella’s deal is set to expire at the end of the current season and there have been no developments as regards the extension of his contract at Barcelona.
The situation makes Barcelona susceptible to the prospect of losing another great prospect at a young age to some other club. And there are clubs interested in the 18-year-old. Manchester City are keeping a keen eye on developments surrounding his contract situation while Borussia Dortmund is said to be interested as well.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have an excellent shot at some cup glory in the manager’s first season, as they face Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on April 23, 2017. You can find the tickets for the match here.
But Guardiola is not happy with the players at available at his disposal and is looking to freshen up their options in the left-back and right-back area.
Manchester City are chasing Barcelona wonderkid Marc Cucurella who hasn’t signed a contract in Spain yet. (Source: Mirror Football) pic.twitter.com/fFNQDYRqhm
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Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov are both 31 and while Kolarov does seem to have a future as a squad player, with his ability to act as a cover for centre-back and set-piece expertise, not the same can be said about Clichy.
The Frenchman’s contract is set to expire at the end of the summer and there have been reports that Manchester City are unlikely to renew it and are instead looking for a younger option as a replacement for the veteran.
The Citizens have been linked with a move for Benjamin Mendy but face tough competition in the form of Chelsea and their local rivals, Manchester United. Cucurella, on the other hand, might be available for far less competition and the Barcelona connection might just tip the ball in City’s favour.
City manager Pep Guardiola and Director of Football Txiki Begiristain are both former employees of Barcelona and share fond memories and a healthy relationship with the club to this date, which could be a factor in the player’s decision.
Borussia Dortmund are also interested in the player with the Bundesliga outfit’s squad full of young gems who are already making waves in European football. And they are now eyeing the addition of Marc Cucurella to their squad. Dortmund, however, have plenty of options at the left-back area.
Raphael Guerreiro is the undisputed first choice under Tuchel while the likes of Lukasz Piszczek and Joo-Ho Park are also available to the manager, which makes a move to the Signal Iduna Park highly unlikely, with Cucurella wanting to move in search of first-team football.
City, however, might provide Cucurella with the opportunity to be a first-team player at the very least, if not a starter, which could interest him. It remains to be seen however, whether Barcelona does offer an extension to Cucurella and whether the two parties can come to an agreement.
Because, as has been evidenced in the past, Guardiola and Begiristain have abstained from poaching Barcelona players out of respect of the relationship and history with the club and are unlikely to make this case an exception.
