Marc Cucurella transfer request falls on deaf ears as Brighton terminate talks with Man City

Marc Cucurella has seen his hopes of joining Manchester City diminish further – in the same week he handed in a transfer request at Brighton.

Cucurella is a top target for a Manchester City side looking to add a natural left-back to their squad this summer. He enjoyed a productive first Premier League season with Brighton and could be ready for the next step already.

However, Brighton have been holding out for a high transfer fee – specifically £50m – for their full-back. Champions Manchester City have not been willing to pay that much.

So far, City’s highest offer has been in the region of £30m. Amid the stalemate, reports late in the week revealed Cucurella has now put in a transfer request to Brighton.

Just the next day, though, The Athletic are now reporting that Brighton have stopped talking with City about Cucurella. As far as they are concerned, the negotiations are over unless a £50m offer arrives.

Brighton have been considering an improved contract for Cucurella if he stays. Whether he would agree to it knowing City have been showing such a strong interest is another matter.

Cucurella would have had no problem accepting personal terms with the reigning champions, the report reminds. However, he will miss out on his desired move unless they up their bid further.

The Athletic reiterate that City have been considering increasing their offer to £40m. It seems that still might not be enough to tempt Brighton, though – despite their initial investment last year only being £15m.

The Seagulls believe Cucurella is more of a commodity than Benjamin White was. Given they sold White to Arsenal for £50m last summer, they would be seeking a superior deal before letting the Spaniard go.

Marc Cucurella transfer looking less likely

It is unlikely City will be making a £50m move for Cucurella. It has been known all along that they will not be held to ransom for targets.

Their stance is a sensible one and after doing so well to balance the books this summer, they would not want to threaten what they have achieved.

Without Cucurella, they still have Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake and maybe Aymeric Laporte capable of playing at left-back. Although none are a natural fit in the role, they can succeed there – as Cancelo showed in particular last term.

Hence, Cucurella may end up having to wait it out at Brighton. If he wants a future move, perhaps he shouldn’t accept a renewal offer, but be patient in hope of a good opportunity arising.

For now, he will continue with Brighton, whose season starts against Manchester United on August 7th.

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