Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella is now reportedly keen to sign for Premier League giants Chelsea despite interest all summer from Manchester City as well as Tottenham.
According to the Guardian, the Spanish left-back wants to leave the Seagulls amid initial interest from City, with Cucurella even handing in a transfer request to depart the Amex Stadium, however, Pep Guardiola was unwilling to match Brighton’s £50m asking price for the Catalan-born fullback.
As a result, Chelsea how now swooped in for Cucurella in past 12 hours, with the Blues now working on a deal to sign the former Getafe star, with the defender believed to be keen on working with Thomas Tuchel and playing for a top Premier League side in the west London giants.
Linked with City and Tottenham this summer, Cucurella only arrived in England last year after Brighton brought the former FC Barcelona academy star from La Liga, with the defender’s performances already catching the eyes of some of the Premier League’s biggest sides.
With City losing Oleksandr Zinechnko to Arsenal, Cucurella seemed like an ideal replacement for the Ukrainian international, however, as per reports, the reigning English champions were unable to go anywhere near Brighton’s £50m asking price, something Chelsea are seemingly willing to match in what will be Tuchel’s third signing of the summer.
Indeed, Cucurella would be an ideal player for a top Premier League club, however, Chelsea are seemingly paying over the odds for a player the west London side don’t really need with Ben Chilwell back to full fitness and Marcos Alonso still on Tuchel’s books.
Chelsea could regret making huge move to sign Cucurella from Brighton
City needed a backup left-back to replace Zinchenko this summer with Cucurella an ideal player for this role, yet at £50m, the former Getafe defender is simply way too expensive a transfer for a player who will spend most of their time on the sidelines, yet this seemingly hasn’t deterred Chelsea.
After all, Todd Boehly is keen to impress fans and to back Tuchel in his first summer as owner of the club, yet signing Cucurella seems like an odd move for the Blues, and the left-back is in danger of a falling into obscurity like many of the Blues’ other big-purchase signings.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
