Brighton don't believe Manchester City will meet their valuation of Marc Cucurella this summer, according to a new report.
The Premier League champions have this week had a £30 million bid for the Spaniard rejected by the Seagulls, who are believed to be demanding £50 million for the left-back.
A commendable aspect of Manchester City’s summer business has been how the Blues have avoided deals from dragging on and gotten majority of their dealings done early in the window.
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Pep Guardiola’s side first took a leap ahead of their competitors as early as in January by signing Julian Alvarez from River Plate, announcing the Argentinian's arrival on deadline day.
However, City were only getting started as they had confirmed the coup of the one and only Erling Haaland prior to a 5-1 thumping of Wolves at the Molineux Stadium in May.
With Zack Steffen on loan to Middlesbrough, City added Stefan Ortega to their ranks to strengthen competition for Ederson next season.
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While the deal to sign Kalvin Phillips dragged on, the newfound replacement for former Manchester City captain Fernandinho was brought in before City jetted off to the United States for pre-season a few weeks ago.
A blot on the club’s impressive business remains that a deal for Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella, who has been identified as a key target for the summer, is yet to be struck.
With Oleksandr Zinchenko’s £30 million transfer to Arsenal confirmed, City currently have only two senior full-backs at their disposal - Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker - both stronger on the right side of defence.
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It is understood Cucurella is keen on moving to the Etihad Stadium, with Guardiola being a massive admirer of his fellow Catalonian.
However, with City yet to meet Brighton's valuation of their left-back, the saga could be drawn on longer as the Blues consider alternatives should they fail to agree a fee with the Seagulls for the 24-year-old.
A new update has confirmed these suspicions, providing clarity around the rumoured transfer that remains unlikely to materialise at present.
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As per a report by Andy Naylor of The Athletic, Brighton are firm in their stance about keeping Marc Cucurella at the club unless Manchester City agree to meet the £50 million plus valuation for the defender.
Additionally, Graham Potter’s side deemed City’s opening bid worth £30 million for Cucurella as ‘laughable’ - as talks continue over the full-back's future at the Amex Stadium.
Sources in the south coast also believe Manchester City are unlikely to pay the set valuation to persuade Brighton into cashing in on their star man.
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Brighton have also put an end to ongoing speculation around their 2021/22 Player of the Season being ‘unhappy’ or ‘unsettled’ at the Amex.
The upcoming season is due to begin in less than a fortnight, with Pep Guardiola looking short of options at left-back following Zinchenko's move to Arsenal.
It remains unlikely Brighton will allow Cucurella to leave unless City pay a premium, with further developments expected in the coming weeks over whether the Premier League champions do indeed decide to consider other options.
Topics: Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours, Manchester City, Premier League, Brighton And Hove Albion, Marc Cucurella, Pep Guardiola, Transfers
Srinivas Sadhanand