Brighton have turned down an opening bid of £30m from Manchester City for Marc Cucurella.
Cucurella shone during an impressive debut season at Brighton after arriving from Getafe last summer, earning the Seagulls’ Players’ Player of the Season and Player of the Season accolades.
The 23-year-old’s performances have attracted interest from the Premier League champions, though Sky Sports are reporting that City’s opening offer falls significantly short of Brighton’s £50m valuation.
City want to sign Cucurella as the Premier League champions look to add to their left-back options, with Oleksandr Zinchenko on the verge of finalising a move to Arsenal.
Joao Cancelo operated at left-back for much of last season and was named in the PFA Team of the Year, though City are keen to add a natural left-footed option to their squad ahead of the new campaign.
Should a deal be agreed, the defender could become the club’s fourth signing of the summer, following deals for Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Stefano Ortega. Julian Alvarez has also joined up with his new teammates after signing from River Plate in January.
Brighton are reluctant to allow Cucurella to leave this summer and the Spaniard has four years remaining on his contract at the Amex Stadium.
