Marc Cucurella Absent From Brighton Matchday Squad Following Transfer Request

Brighton's Marc Cucurella is absent from their matchday squad this weekend.

The in-demand left-back recently submitted an official transfer request to officials at the Amex Stadium amid strong interest from Premier League champions, Manchester City.

At present, Etihad officials are yet to show any willingness to exceed their upper-limit of £40 million for a deal.

For Brighton, the valuation from Manchester City is significantly below the fee they are seeking, with the south coast club standing firm on a sum upwards of £50 million.

However, from the player's side, there is a strong desire to make the move to the Etihad Stadium.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that the player had submitted a transfer request in an attempt to push through a move to Pep Guardiola's side.

However, Brighton's response was to cut talks with Manchester City entirely, refusing to entertain any incremental bid offers from the Premier League giants.

In what is now perhaps the latest significant update, Marc Cucurella is absent from Brighton's latest matchday squad.

Graham Potter's side go up against RCD Espanyol in their final pre-season friendly before the Premier League kicks off next weekend.

Cucurella is not in the Brighton starting eleven, nor is he among the named substitutes.

Here's our starting XI to face @RCDEspanyol today. 📝 pic.twitter.com/HL5AMHJKS9

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) July 30, 2022

While there is currently no confirmed reason as to why Marc Cucurella is absent from the Brighton squad, the player is unlikely to have been ruled out through fitness.

The Manchester City target has already completed 175 minutes of action during pre-season for his current club - the fourth most game time so far.

As for the transfer itself and what could come next, City will be hoping that Brighton soften their stance out of respect for the player's wishes - despite his long-term contract tying him to the Amex Stadium.

However, given the lack of full-back options in Pep Guardiola's squad, they may still look to match Brighton's valuation.

Should neither of the aforementioned eventualities come to surface, then alternative options will be looked at.

The likes of VfB Stuttgart's Borna Sosa and Benfica's Alex Grimaldo are admired at the Etihad Stadium, but no official approaches have been made for either player.