Manchester City have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Marc Cucurella, with Andy Naylor of The Athletic revealing that Brighton & Hove Albion have ‘ended talks’ over a deal.
The Seagulls have been holding out for £50m while City wouldn’t go above £40m for Cucurella, so Albion have opted out of discussions and are preparing to start the season with the Spanish international available for selection.
Cucurella is keen to join City, having recently handed in a transfer request to push through a move, but Brighton aren’t budging. They paid £15m for the 24-year-old last summer and could more than triple their money after one year.
Pep Guardiola is believed to be a big fan of Cucurella and regards him as the perfect player for his system, but City have fumbled the bag. Brighton have the Spaniard tied down until 2026, so they have no obligation to cash in early for less money.
City will have to up their offer to stand a chance of signing Cucurella, or they can turn their attention to another left-back. Selling Oleksandr Zinchenko without having his replacement lined up hasn’t panned out well.
In other news, Riyad Mahrez underperformed v Liverpool