Manchester City are prepared to walk away from any deal for Marc Cucurella should Brighton not bring their asking price down from 50m+, according to the Athletic.
Pep Guardiola is keen on strengthening his left-hand side, with Benjamin Mendy having been suspended pending a court case. Joao Cancelo filled in admirably last season, but will need support, while the future of Oleksandr Zinchenko remains unclear.
As a result, Brighton’s player of the season Marc Cucurella has caught the eye, with the La Masia graduate having a phenomenal first season in England following his £20m to the AMEX stadium from Getafe 12 months ago.
However, the Seagulls are under little pressure to sell, having raked in £50m last season for Ben White and a further £25m for Yves Bissouma this summer, with the pair joining Arsenal and Tottenham respectively.
As a result, they are braced for a bid in the coming days and they are expected to ask for a club-record sale in order to let Cucurella leave, something that the Cityzens will not sanction.
Marc Cucurella, Brighton and Manchester City.
Talks to start within days. Brighton to ask £50m-plus. City expecting to negotiate, or will walk away. Chelsea expected on the mix too. Cucurella more seduced by City. And more stuff.
— Pol Ballús (@polballus) June 18, 2022
Negotiate, or keep him
That seems to be Manchester City’s stance on the matter, with the Athletic reporting that ‘if Brighton do not soften their stance and really demand a £50 million-plus deal, they’ll walk away’.
However, it seems unlikely to come to that, they add, revealing that ‘sources involved in the mooted transfer believe there is room for negotiation. They are confident an agreement can be reached.’
Marc Cucurella could be lining out in Sky Blue next season (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Chelsea lurk in the shadows of any potential deal, though it is believed that Cucurella himself would prefer a move to the Etihad. Should that not materialise, however, the Blues could pounce.
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