It is safe to say that Manchester City have concluded the majority of their summer business.
Securing the services of Erling Haaland has solved two issues for Manchester City as they have found a long-term successor to Sergio Agüero and ended their arduous wait for a traditional number nine.
In addition, it was revealed that City have reached an agreement with Leeds to complete the signing of Kalvin Phillips for an initial £42 million.
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The England international has been reported to be touted as Fernandinho’s replacement as he provides cover to Rodri in defensive midfield next season.
However, the Premier League champions are yet to confirm the coup of left-back target Marc Cucurella.
It was mentioned that the Sky Blues were prepared to let Oleksandr Zinchenko depart the club, with the Brighton defender touted as his replacement - a decision that was made back in May.
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Less than a fortnight ago, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano had claimed that Manchester City were ready to submit an official bid, while ‘advanced talks’ were expected shortly.
Recently, the La Masia graduate had also cheekily hinted at a move to the Etihad Stadium on social media, which gave many fans the indication that a switch is all but completed.
However, a fresh update has emerged that plays down the constant speculation.
As per the latest information provided by Andy Naylor of the Athletic, it is claimed that the speculation around Pep Guardiola’s side putting in a bid and agreeing terms with Marc Cucurella could not be further away from the truth.
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It has also been revealed that an ‘irresistible offer’ is understood to force Brighton & Hove Albion’s hand to sell the Spaniard.
However, as things stand, it is mentioned that the Seagulls are said to have ‘no desire’ to bid farewell to their talismanic defender.
Of course, this is a far cry from the recent report that suggested that Liam Delap’s potential loan spell at the AMEX was considered to be the factor that allows City to drive down the price for Cucurella to a reasonable £40 million.
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With the former Getafe man often speculated with asking prices in excess of £50 million, it seemed as if that the 19 year-old’s promise of solving Brighton’s long-awaited striking crisis would let City finalise the deal for their dream left-back with ease.
However, the deal to sign the 23-year-old could drag on as Graham Potter’s side may be unwilling to sanction the sale of their Player of the Season last term.
Topics: Manchester City, Brighton And Hove Albion, Marc Cucurella, Premier League, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours
Srinivas Sadhanand