Chelsea and Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella are in advanced negotiations for a transfer, and Chelsea is prepared to meet the aim of Manchester City’s £50 million asking price. Check out the details below.
Chelsea in advanced talks to sign Marc Cucurell
In an effort to force through a deal to City, the Spaniard submitted a transfer request on Friday. However, the Premier League champions declined to meet Brighton’s asking price, placing Chelsea in the lead to sign the 24-year-old.
Pep Guardiola’s team, who are looking for a replacement for Oleksandr Zinchenko after he joined Arsenal, had previously made a £30 million offer for the full-back, but the Seagulls had initially denied it.
After moving to Brighton in a move of roughly £15 million last summer from Getafe, Cucurella had a tremendously successful first season in the Premier League and was awarded the team’s player of the year.
Cucurella still has four years left on his Amex deal, so Brighton doesn’t want to let him go, and it would take a sizable bid for them to sell. But now that he has asked to be sold, the left-back has pushed for a transfer.
As Marcos Alonso’s future is uncertain and Barcelona is apparently interested in signing the 31-year-old this summer, Chelsea has now made a move for Cucurella. With just one year left on his contract, Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta is also a target for the Spanish superpowers.
Ben Chilwell, the team’s first-choice left back, arrived from Leicester in August 2020 for £50 million. He lost much of the previous season due to a knee injury, but he is now fully healthy and ready for the new campaign.
Raheem Sterling, who cost City £47.5 million, and Kalidou Koulibaly, a defender who cost Napoli £33 million, are Thomas Tuchel’s team’s two new additions this summer.