2 years ago
Marc Cucurella submits transfer request in bid to seal Manchester City move
Marc Cucurella has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move from Brighton to Manchester City. The Spanish left-back is determined to join the Premier League champions before the close of the window, having seen their offer of £30m for him rejected by Brighton. The south-coast club want £50m for Cucurella, who has made a huge impact since joining from Getafe for £15.4m last year. The 24-year-old was named Brighton’s player of the season and has been targeted by Pep Guardiola for much of the summer. City’s decision to submit a bid way below asking price appears a classic case of a club attempting to unsettle a player in order to seal a transfer and appears to have worked, with Cucurella submitting his transfer request having again made clear to staff at Brighton that he wants to leave for life at the Etihad Stadium. Asked about Cucurella at his pre-Community Shield press conference on Friday, Guardiola said: “He’s a Brighton player, I cannot say anything else.” The City manager did admit, however, that left-back is an area where he is looking to strengthen following the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal. João Cancelo is City’s only current senior specialist option in that position. “If it’s possible, yes [to strengthen at left-back],” said Guardiola. “If it’s not, we stay with what we have.” Brighton remain determined to keep Cucurella and are in a strong position to do so given he has four years remaining on his contract. Graham Potter will also be loathed to lose an important first-team player ahead of the new season having already seen another in Yves Bissouma join Tottenham this summer.
Marc Cucurella Only Interested In Manchester City Move Claims Fabrizio Romano
Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella is only interested in signing for Manchester City. A consistent theme amongst these transfers is their youthfulness, which plays perfectly into the continued City transfer strategy. One area in their squad which could use this treatment is at left-back, following the recent departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko. The 25 year-old completed a £30 million move to Arsenal, ending a six-year stay at the Etihad Stadium. In leaving the Premier League Champions, Zinchenko hopes to get more game-time in midfield, the position he occupies for Ukraine. Oleksandr Zinchenko signing for Arsenal (Image: Arsenal/Arsenal.com) During the past season, apart from Zinchenko, the Blues mainly utilised Joao Cancelo at left-back - which Guardiola also did in their pre-season friendly win against Club America on Wednesday. Guardiola has openly revealed that the Sky Blues are on the hunt for a new left-back, with Brighton star Marc Cucurella being one of the only players who the club reportedly want to sign. Brighton have picked up on City’s urgency to sign the Spanish defender and have apparently put a price tag of £50 million on Cucurella.
Total Comments: 0