Manchester City have been trying to sign Marc Cucurella all summer but have had their efforts rebuffed by Brighton & Hove Albion due to the two clubs being £10m apart in their valuations of the 24-year-old.
And while the Seagulls recently ended talks with City, Noel Whelan believes Pep Guardiola will land his man before the transfer window shuts as Cucurella will continue pushing for an exit.
He told Football Insider: “Cucurella won’t be happy with Brighton pricing City out of a deal. He wants to win things and challenge at the top of the table. He’ll be pushing to leave.
“£50million does seem very high and seems like Brighton are just trying to take advantage of City’s finances. But Brighton will want to strengthen as well. £40million could get them two new signings.”
Cucurella joined Brighton from Getafe for £15m last summer and has made 38 appearances in all competitions for the Seagulls, scoring one goal with two assists.
Brighton are requesting more than triple the money they paid for the 24-year-old which may be why City are refusing to up their bid, but Cucurella has requested a transfer, so his future is uncertain.
Albion have him contracted until 2026, so they don’t need to cash in early or for cheap. City selling Oleksandr Zincheko puts pressure on the negotiating team to land a replacement left-back as the new season looms, so Brighton playing hardball might be successful.
Guardiola has internal solutions if City don’t bring in a defender, but he does need depth in case of injury.
In other news, Liam Delap tipped to leave Man City as he ‘needs to play games’ this season