Marc Cucurella signed Brighton for £15 million last summer and was voted the club’s player of the season following an impressive debut season; Manchester City had a £30 million deal put down last week. Chelsea is closing in on a PS 50m-plus deal for Mark Cucurella following more talks with Brighton on Tuesday evening. According to Express Sport, Chelsea failed to match an initial bid for Marc Cucurella, understanding that Brighton would not accept the player’s offer in addition to money. Chelsea are now prepared to pay Brighton’s PS 50m asking price, having decided this morning to nip Manchester City’s pursuit of Marc Cucurella. Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella submitted his transfer request on Friday, looking to force a move to Manchester City. Still, the Champions of the Premier League side will not meet Brighton’s asking price, and Chelsea is now firmly in a position to sign the 24-year-old.
Manchester City’s desire to sign the left-back came following their agreement to sell Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, but Brighton set an asking price of PS 50m for Cucurella. Manchester City had been under the impression that they would complete the signing of the heavily-rated Marc Cucurella but have been locked in a dispute over the fee with Brighton and Albion. Manchester City hoped they would pay under PS50m, and they may go down should Brighton remain steadfast in their assessment of Marc Cucurella. Pep Guardiola’s team insist on PS 40m, and a stand-off over that fee has created a window for Chelsea, who moved swiftly to offer Brighton and Albion the cost. Chelsea bid on Tuesday to force through another deal in the current window. Chelsea is continuing to push forward on the move for Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion. Napoli is negotiating with Chelsea for loan signing goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to Sky in Italy. Chelsea also agreed on a PS 20 million deal for Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.
Brighton frequently incorporates Cucurella into the action, demonstrating their faith in him as an offensive option in possession. Only 13% of the league’s full-backs had a higher progressive carrying distance (the number of yards a player advanced the ball while controlling it with their foot towards the opposing goal). Cucurella is also excellent at regaining possession, with a ball recoveries rate of 9.99 per 90 minutes, putting him slightly inside the top 10% of his position. Cucurella stands his own in a position where you might assume a man just 5ft 8in (172cm) tall to struggle. He has won 52.7% of aerial duels, putting him in the top half of all Premier League full-backs.
