Brighton Slam 'Inaccurate Reports' Claiming Chelsea Have Agreed A £52.5m Deal For Marc Cucurella

Brighton insist Chelsea have NOT agreed a deal for Marc Cucurella despite multiple reports claiming the Blues are on the verge of signing the Spanish defender.

Multiple outlets claimed that Chelsea had agreed a deal worth around £52.5m for Cucurella, who has also been strongly linked with Manchester City this summer.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano was among those to claim that a deal had been finalised, tweeting his famous phrase "here we go" to announce that the signing had been completed.

However, Brighton took the unusual step of releasing a public statement on Wednesday night to deny the reports.

"Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement has been reached with any club to sell Marc Cucurella," Brighton tweeted on their official account.

While negotiations appear to be ongoing, Spain international Cucurella looks likely to join Chelsea this summer.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is desperate to sign defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closes.

Tuchel has already lost centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers this summer, while full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso have both been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City were also keen to sign Cucurella, who only joined Brighton in a £15m move from Getafa last summer.

But the Premier League champions have reportedly ended their interest after refusing to meet Brighton's asking price for the Spaniard.

Former Barcelona defender Cucurella made 38 appearances in all competitions last season to help Brighton finish ninth in the table.

The 24-year-old is a full Spain international, having made his senior debut against Lithuania last summer.