Brighton And Hove Albion Deny Reports Of Chelsea's £52.5 Million Marc Cucurella Agreement

Brighton and Hove Albion have dismissed reports stating that they have reached an agreement on a fee of £52.5 million to sell Marc Cucurella to Chelsea.

Italian transfer insider Fabrizio Romano had previously stated that the move is on the verge of completion as Chelsea had agreed a fee and personal terms with the player.

Furthermore, Chelsea defender Levi Colwill was reportedly set for a permanent transfer to the Seagulls, with the Blues including a buy-back clause in the deal.

However, there has been a late twist in the transfer saga as Brighton have now taken to Twitter to deny any agreement being reached.

The statement wrote: "Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement has been reached with any club to sell Marc Cucurella."

It remains to be seen as to whether the Spaniard will end up being a Chelsea player or as to whether Brighton are going to hold firm in their stance.

Graeme Bailey of 90min reported that there is still a full expectation that the deal will be done before the weekend as Chelsea face Everton at Goodison Park.

Furthermore, Matt Law of The Telegraph reports that those close to the Cucurella deal are adamant that the transfer to Chelsea will now go through, with a medical booked, although Brighton sources were still insisting on Wednesday night that no final agreement had been reached.

He continues to state that it appears that both clubs would like to announce the two deals - Cucurella and Colwill - at the same time and that the hold-up are the details of the talks on Colwill.

It remians to be seen as to whether there will be further complications in either deal, with Thomas Tuchel keen to bring in defensive additions this summer.

Following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, Kalidou Koulibaly joined the club.

However, with Colwill set to depart and Cesar Azpilicueta linked with a move away, further central defenders will no doubt be required before the end of the transfer window.

Furthermore, Malang Sarr is closing in on a loan transfer to AS Monaco, which would see the Blues lose another defensive option.

Wesley Fofana of Leicester City has been linked, despite the Foxes' high valuation, and RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol has also held talks with Tuchel.

For now, the Blues will likely prioritise finalising Cucurella's deal before moving on to alternative targets ahead of the Premier League season.

Chelsea kick-off their season against Everton on Saturday evening as they look to compete at the top end of the table once again.