Pep Guardiola Breaks Silence On Manchester City's Chase For Marc Cucurella

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lifted the lid on his side's ongoing pursuit of a left-back as Oleksandr Zinchenko completes a move to Arsenal.

The Premier League champions kicked off their pre-season in the early hours of Thursday with a feisty encounter with Club América in Houston’s NRG Stadium.

The Mexican side were beaten 2-1 thanks to two first-half goals by star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the first of those coming from distance.

Kevin De Bruyne in pre-season (Image: Alamy)

The Belgian’s brace was either side of a Club América goal scored by Henry Martín, who did well to skip past Nathan Ake, who is set to stay put this summer despite recently being linked to Chelsea.

A natural right back, Joao Cancelo, started the game on the left side of defence, with Oleksandr Zinchenko completing his imminent switch to Arsenal.

This is all too familiar for the City faithful, who have become accustomed operating without a recognised left back under Pep Guardiola.

Zinchenko in action for Manchester City against Aston Villa (Sportimage / Alamy)

Following the win, Guardiola was quizzed about the club’s pursuit of a left-back amid speculation linking City with Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella.

The Manchester City boss said: “I follow the club. Of course we miss an important player with Oleks (Zinchenko). We are trying (to sign a left-back).

“If it doesn’t happen, we have alternatives. Joao (Cancelo), Josh (Wilson-Esbrand) and Nathan (Ake) can play there.”

Zinchenko, who operates in midfield for the Ukraine National Team, has helped cover City’s left-back issues in recent seasons, helping the Blues claim four Premier League titles in just five years.

Brighton manager Graham Potter with Marc Cucurella (Image: Alamy)

However, with the 25-year-old set to be announced as an Arsenal player in the near future, the Premier League champions are understood to be in the market for reinforcements.

Brighton's Marc Cucurella tops City's wishlist though the Seagulls are set to test City's desire of getting their man after knocking back an initial £30 million offer for the Spaniard.

The Barcelona academy graduate, 23, only moved to England last summer but has already made an impact with his high-quality performances for Graham Potter's side in the south coast.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (Image: Alamy)

Further talks are set to be conducted between City and Brighton over Cucurella in the days to follow, though it is worth noting the Blues are ready to walk away from a deal should Brighton refuse to lower their asking price.

If this is the case, then Guardiola will be prepared to continue using unorthodox options at left-back with the existing set of options at his disposal.

City will face Bayern Munich this weekend at the Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin in their second and final match of their pre-season tour of the United States.