Chelsea 'could beat Manchester City to Marc Cucurella deal'

Chelsea are reportedly now firmly in the running for Marc Cucurella, with the Blues looking to beat Manchester City to the Brighton & Hove Albion defender's signature.

Man City are believed to have identified the Spaniard as a leading transfer target, but a deal has stalled, with Brighton said to want £50m for the 24-year-old.

The Citizens remain interested in the left-back but will not meet Brighton's current asking price, and according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are now exploring the possibility of a deal.

The report claims that Thomas Tuchel's side want a new left-back this summer, with Marcos Alonso likely to move to Barcelona before the end of the transfer window.

Chelsea have already lost Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger since the end of last season, while Cesar Azpilicueta is also being strongly linked with a switch to Barcelona.

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Cucurella is believed to have handed a transfer request in at Brighton in a bid to force a move, but the Seagulls are in a strong position when it comes to his future.

The Spain international still has four years left to run on his current deal, while Brighton have boosted their summer budget by selling Yves Bissouma to Tottenham Hotspur.

Cucurella spent time with Espanyol as a youngster before joining Barcelona in 2012, but he only made one first-team appearance for the Catalan club ahead of a switch to Getafe, initially on loan, in 2019.

A successful period with the Deep Blue Ones led to Brighton signing him in August 2021, and he has represented the club on 38 appearances, contributing one goal and two assists.

Last month, Brighton chairman Tony Bloom lavished praise on the defender and suggested that the club were confident of keeping hold of him on a long-term basis.

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"All I can say about Marc is he is a tremendous player, a tremendous person. He is brilliant for the dressing room. The players love him," Bloom told The Argus.

"Graham (Potter) and the coaching staff love him, I love him, the fans love him. He was unbelievably good last season, his first season in the Premier League. We are hoping for more to come and we haven't had a bid for him."

Chelsea have been relatively quiet during the summer transfer window, bringing in only Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly despite a number of players leaving the club.

The likes of Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja are among the players looking to secure first-team roles in the new season after returning from successful loan spells.

Chelsea will begin their 2022-23 Premier League campaign away to Everton on August 6.