Brighton rejects Manchester City’s bid for Marc Cucurella

• Brighton have turned down Man City’s offer for Marc Cucurella
• Manchester City’s offer is significantly lower than the £50 million that Brighton is believed to have placed on the player’s market value
• The 23-year-old forward had a tremendously successful debut campaign in the English Premier League
• Cucurella had  recently renewed his agreement with Brighton for another five years

The opening bid that Manchester City made for Marc Cucurella has been turned down by Brighton.

Brighton is apparently holding out for a transfer fee significantly higher than the one they received from Arsenal for Ben White during the previous campaign.

Manchester City’s initial offer is said to be significantly below how the Seagulls value the player.

Cucurella is City’s primary target for the left defender position following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s departure; nevertheless, the club is prepared to back out of the deal if Brighton does not reduce their asking price.

The initial offer Manchester City made for Marc Cucurella has been turned down by Brighton, as reported by the Athletic.

The proposal made by Manchester City for £30 million is significantly lower than the asking price that Brighton has set, which is £50 million or more.

Marc Cucurella. Photo: Eurosport

Brighton is insistent that they want at least £50 million for the player, and Andy Naylor detailed that Brighton received that kind of money for Ben White even though he had only played one season in the Premier League.

There is a good chance that City may make one or two other offers, but ultimately, at this time, they do not concur with Brighton’s assessment of Cucurella’s value.

Pep Guardiola has stated that he would like to sign him, but it appears that City would be willing to pay a higher price than £50 million for him at this time.

City believes that Cucurella’s top-flight experience is limited, so he cannot justify the price tag placed on him, according to Pol Ballus and Andy Naylor.

The defender only recently renewed his agreement with Brighton for another five years, and the Seagulls believe they are in a great position to negotiate the terms of this arrangement.

Why is Manchester City so interested in acquiring Cucurella?

Since Benjamin Mendy was detained in the summer of 2017, Manchester City has been playing without a left-back who is naturally inclined to play that position. Zinchenko has been a stalwart substitute for a good many years at this point.

Cancelo completely dominated the position during the previous campaign, earning him a spot in the PFA Team of the Year as voted on by his fellow players.

At this point, Zinchenko is very close to signing with Arsenal. Even though Cancelo possesses the versatility to play on either side of the defence, the club still has a natural need for extra depth in its roster.

The transition to the Premier League has not been difficult for Cucurella.

During the 2021/22 season, in which Brighton finished higher in the league than they ever had before, he was honoured with the title of Player of the Season by his team.