Brighton released a statement on Wednesday
Brighton and Hove Albion have denied reports that they had agreed a fee with Chelsea for the sale of defender Marc Cucurella.
Several reports on Wednesday claimed that the Seagulls had agreed a deal in the region of £52m for the Spaniard, but have played down those reports in a statement.
A tweet from the club’s account said: “Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement has been reached with any club to sell Marc Cucurella.”
CLUB STATEMENT: MARC CUCURELLA.
Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement has been reached with any club to sell Marc Cucurella.
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 3, 2022
Cucurella joined Graham Potter’s side from Getafe in a deal worth £15m last summer but was a standout performer in his debut season.
However the defender has been looking to leave the Amex Stadium and handed in a transfer request after hearing of interest from Premier League champions Manchester City.
In order to keep their prized asset at the club, Brighton slapped a £50m price tag on the defender – but Man City were unable to submit a bit close to their demands.
Pep Guardiola’s side are now looking at alternative options which include Anderlecht’s Sergio Gomez after the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko – leaving Joao Cancelo as the club’s only senior left back option.
Chelsea then joined the hunt to sign the 24-year-old as Thomas Tuchel looks to beat a direct rival to his signature and strengthen his own squad.
Although he is considered a left-back, some reports suggested that Cucurella would be brought in to play on the left hand side of a back three while Ben Chilwell, who has returned from a long-term injury, would play in the left wing-back position.
The Blues have signed three players this summer already. Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Kouliably and Gabriel Slonina have all joined while Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka has also agreed on a move to Stamford Bridge.
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