Brighton & Hove Albion have denied reaching an agreement with Chelsea for the sale of Marc Cucurella in a deal worth £52.5 million.
According to Sky Sports, Brighton & Hove Albion have issued a statement dismissing reports of an agreement with Chelsea over the transfer of left-back Marc Cucurella.
On Wednesday, media outlets across England carried reports that Chelsea had managed to strike an agreement with Brighton & Hove Albion for the signing of Cucurella. The 24-year-old joined the Seagulls only last summer and enjoyed a stunning debut campaign in the Premier League, as he finished with a goal and two assists in 38 games, impressing with his all-round performances.
Cucurella’s displays in his maiden campaign in England sparked interest from Manchester City, who launched a bid for his services earlier this month. However, their offer was turned down by Brighton as they were holding out for a fee more than £50 million, something that the Premier League champions were unwilling to meet.
It left the door open for Chelsea to swoop in and initiate negotiations with Brighton for Cucurella. The Blues need a new left-back this summer to compete with Ben Chilwell as Marcos Alonso has entered the final year of his contract and is being pursued by Cucurella’s boyhood club FC Barcelona.
Marc Cucurella to Chelsea, here we go! Full agreement in place between Chelsea and Brighton for more than £50m. Levi Colwill on the verge of joining Brighton soon. ?? #CFC
Personal terms already agreed, no way for Man City. Cucurella will become Chelsea new signing, done. pic.twitter.com/5Rw6CvDT1l
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 3, 2022
Having opened talks, Chelsea were quickly able to agree personal terms with the 24-year-old Spaniard. Soon after, reports started emerging that the Blues had struck an agreement with Brighton as well over a deal worth £52.5 million. Almost every major outlet ran the story of an agreement, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also corroborating the claims about a deal being done.
However, in the aftermath, Brighton & Hove Albion issued an official statement claiming that the reports were false and they had not reached an agreement with any club for the sale of Cucurella. “Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement has been reached with any club to sell Marc Cucurella,” the statement read.
With Brighton vehemently denying claims of an agreement, it will be interesting to see how this transfer story unfolds in the coming hours. The Seagulls have also been in talks with Chelsea to sign youngster Levi Colwill, albeit as an independent deal separate from the Cucurella operation. The young defender’s move to the Amex Stadium is said to be close to completion.
As for Cucurella, it could be a matter of resolving some finer details of the operation before an agreement is reached.
