Chelsea set asking price to sign Brighton star also wanted by Manchester City

Chelsea are keen to sign Brighton defender Marc Cucurella this summer but have been told they will have to stump up a massive fee for the 23-year-old, according to reports.

As soon as the west London club’s sanctions are lifted, Thomas Tuchel is keen to move aggressively and quickly in the transfer market and wants to significantly bolster his back-line.

Both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will leave the club on free transfers when their contracts expire, joining Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, but they may not be the only defenders to leave Stamford Bridge.

Cesar Azpilicueta also has interest from Barca and would be keen to return to Spain after a decade at Chelsea, while Marcos Alonso could also leave the club this summer with the Catalan giants also interested in signing him.

While Tuchel will prioritise bringing in two new centre-backs – Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol are the club’s top targets – the left-back position is also an area that needs addressing.

If Alonso leaves, that will leave only Ben Chilwell to cover the role but the England international will be returning from a serious knee ligament injury and Chelsea want to treat him with caution and care.

Cucurella has emerged as the player Chelsea would most like to get their hands on to replace Alonso, though The Sun report that they have been quoted a mammoth £45million price tag by Brighton.

The Spaniard, a former Barca academy player, only moved to Brighton last summer from Getafe in a £15m deal but has impressed enormously in his first season in the Premier League.

As well as being able to provide cover and competition for Chilwell in the left wing-back role, Cucurella can also play on the left side of a back three