Due to the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, Manchester City are short on left-backs, with this being evident in their recent Community Shield defeat to Liverpool as Pep Guardiola had no replacement in his squad had Cancelo or Walker succumbed to injury.
As a result, the Cityzens' pursuit of Brighton ace Marc Cucurella makes perfect sense. The Spanish is a high-energy, technically-gifted full-back who can deputize as a center-back as well, having played in the back three for Graham Potter. Unfortunately for the Premier League giants, they have suffered a huge blow as one bitter rival has entered the race for the Spaniard.
As revealed by the Daily Mail, London heavyweights Chelsea have now thrown their hat in the ring, with the Blues "exploring a deal" for the 26-year-old. Cucurella has handed in a transfer request and is expected to leave this summer, but the initial belief that a move to the Etihad Stadium was the only possible outcome is under doubt.
The player is said to prefer a move to Guardiola's side. However, City's initial bid of around £35M was rejected by Brighton, with the Seagulls refusing to accept anything less than £50M ($61M). The Premier League champions are unwilling to meet that valuation and were even tipped to walk away from this deal should Brighton fail to lower their demands.
After missing out on the likes of De Ligt, Kounde, and Raphinha, Chelsea will want to act quickly. Talks are set to take place, with Boehly and Co. even willing to offer players in exchange for Cucurella as highly-rated center-back Levi Colwill could head the other way as part of this deal.
With the new Premier League season being less than a week away from kick-off, it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga ends. Potter's side will likely get their money's worth for the Spaniard; however, where the former Barcelona man will end up remains a mystery.
