Marc Cucurella has reportedly handed a transfer request amid concerns Manchester City could walk away from a possible deal over Brighton’s asking price.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Marc Cucurella has submitted a transfer request to push for a move to Manchester City. The Spanish left-back may have taken this decision amid concerns that the Citizens could walk away from the deal, citing Brighton & Hove Albion’s huge asking price.

Manchester City could end their pursuit of top defensive target Marc Cucurella if they fail to agree on the final transfer fee. Brighton & Hove Albion want around £50 million, but the Premier League champions are only willing to go up to the £40 million mark.

Manchester City have been very particular about their transfer business this summer and are taking things cautiously in getting their preferred targets. Pep Guardiola now wants a top-class left-back, having spent north of £100 million in acquiring Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, and Stefan Ortega.

Brighton’s Marc Cucurella remains his preferred target, considering the profile of the Spaniard fits perfectly with Manchester City’s requirement. The versatile defender is equally capable of playing as a left-back or a left centre-back, but his price tag has come to bother the Premier League champions.

Brighton want to get the best value for their star defender and benchmarked Ben White’s £50 million move to Arsenal last summer. The Seagulls are demanding a similar fee for Cucurella from Manchester City, who are not open to paying an exorbitant fee.

Manchester City have already had a £30 million bid rejected recently for Cucurella. They are looking at the Spanish international to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko, who joined Arsenal for a similar fee. However, the Citizens are reportedly willing to go up and as far as £40 million, which is still considerably short of Brighton’s valuation.

Cucurella has now handed in a transfer request to force a move to Manchester City. The Spanish defender is keen on joining Pep Guardiola’s side and has held talks with manager Graham Potter and the Brighton board to find a solution. Cucurella is only one year into his five-year deal at the Amex Stadium, and Brighton may not be in a hurry to conduct a sale.

The Seagulls might already be looking at potential replacements in the market but may not sell the defender below their valuation. Hence Manchester City are prepared to walk away if they cannot find a middle ground with Brighton over the fee. While they are extremely keen on Cucurella to join them, the Premier League champions are unwilling to go overboard with the price tag.

There are alternatives, such as Benfica’s Alejandro Grimaldo, but Guardiola would love to have Cucurella in his squad. As things stand, a deal could yet be done but will take a concerted effort from Manchester City to meet Brighton’s asking price.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recommended

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.