Revealed: Man City’s Cucurella backup plan

Suraj Radia

• 26 Jul 2022 20:27 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester City have made Marc Cucurella their latest priority signing but the club have backup plans should Brighton refuse to budge on their €50 million valuation.

City are in the market for a new wing-back after Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Arsenal however, despite agreeing personal terms with Cucurella, they have had a €35m bid rejected by Brighton.

Talks are still ongoing between the two sides and City are optimistic that a deal can eventually be reached but the club have identified Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa as ‘plan B’ should Cucurella prove too expensive.

Sosa is believed to be available for around €25m, although Chelsea and Bayern Munich have also been credited with an interest in the Croatian, who got eight assists in the Bundesliga last season.

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Will Cucurella eventually end up a City player?

A product of Barcelona’s academy, Cucurella only joined Brighton last summer after they activated the €18m release clause in his contract at Getafe.

The Spaniard impressed during his debut year in England, being named as Brighton’s player of the season, and created the second-most chances by a defender in the Premier League.

Cucurella is understood to be ‘dreaming’ of a move to City after receiving a phone call from Pep Guardiola, according to reporter Fabrizio Romano.

The 23-year-old is believed to have joined Brighton in the hopes of eventually joining a top English side, supporting quotes from their technical director David Weir, who admitted that the club market themselves as a stepping stone to incoming players.

“It’s an important part of recruitment that players know they can leave the club to go on to bigger teams than Brighton,” Weir said.

"I think what we do is most important and if at some stage it is right for the club and the individual wants to leave, then I think that will have to be a part of the process as well."

While City are not willing to meet Brighton’s €50m valuation, there is a belief that they will return with a better offer, although Sosa is considered to be a legitimate alternative at a significantly lower price.

Guardiola also spoke up the potential of Josh Wilson-Esbrand, the young full-back who has impressed during pre-season for City, and the 19-year-old could be part of the first team this season as a squad option.