Benjamin Mendy is awaiting his trial for alleged sex crimes, but the 27-year-old looks to have played his final game for Manchester City regardless after being suspended in August.
The outcome of the trial is likely to be irrelevant as his contract is up in 2023 and Mendy had been injury prone and inconsistent before the exile. Pep Guardiola has identified Marc Cucurella as a potential replacement and Fabrizio Romano said on Twitter that a proposal is about to be submitted.
He predicts there will be advanced talks in a few days, so City’s second signing of the summer could be confirmed later in June if all goes well. The 23-year-old only joined Brighton & Hove Albion last summer but made a big impact in his debut season to get Guardiola’s attention.
The City boss had Joao Cancelo operating in a makeshift left-back role while Oleksandr Zinchenko filled in on occasion too, but Cucurella must be earmarked for a starting place if signed.
The former Barcelona defender has made 37 appearances for his new club, grabbing two assists. He made 93 tackles, 30 interceptions, blocked 51 shots/passes/crosses, made 65 clearances, 28 successful dribbles and created 42 chances.
Cucurella has all the attributes to be an effective left-back for City, so time will tell if Pep can land his man.
In other news, Dean Jones says Kalvin Phillips hopes Man City move ‘might come off’ this summer
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