REPORT: Manchester City to SUBMIT bid for Brighton defender

There were some interesting developments on Thursday as Manchester City are set to submit an official bid to Brighton for left-back Marc Cucurella – as per Fabrizio Romano.

Pep Guardiola has reportedly listed the Spaniard as a priority signing this summer amidst Oleksandr Zinchenko’s ‘unsettled’ situation.

Cucurella joined the Seagulls last season for a £15.4 million transfer fee from Getafe after which he became Brighton’s player of the season. He has proven himself in the Premier League with his consistently impressive performances during the 2021/22 season and has no doubt caught the eye of several top clubs from Europe.

As reported earlier on Man City Square, Marc expressed his desire to play for a ‘top’ club someday in the future quite ‘openly’ in an interview before the commencement of the transfer window.

City are now waiting to offload some of the players in order to balance their books before making an approach for a new signing.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1537349005990043648?s=20&t=aWMHAoa1yTOdTQQRGFQgWQ

According to a report, Pep Guardiola isn’t impressed with the performances of Joao Cancelo at left-back as he doesn’t get to perform to his full potential when playing in an ‘unnatural’ position. The recent developments have also proven Zinchenko’s future to be ‘uncertain’ at the club after having an amazing season with City. It will be quite interesting to see what Pep has planned for the Ukrainian as there still remains a chance that the ‘fan-favourite’ player might be given his natural role to play next season, in the midfield position.

Manchester City are yet to commence negotiations with Brighton for Cucurella. While his contract with the seagulls runs till 2026, Brighton will be looking to fetch a good amount of transfer fee from the 23-year-old’s departure, with the rumoured asking price to be as high as £50 million.

According to the information from Romano, Pep Guardiola ‘really’ wants to work with the Spaniard while the futures of several Man City players remain to be decided in the next few days.

Cucurella’s deal is expected to go through smoothly without any disruptive competition from other clubs, as the player’s precisive crossing, incredible runs from the back and versatility will be surely a one to watch for if he joins the Champions League side.