Man City transfer pursuit of Marc Cucurella could signal position change for current star

For weeks and weeks, Manchester City have been linked with a swoop for Marc Cucurella - a left-back who has enjoyed a stellar debut season at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Pep Guardiola has had issues in that area of the pitch ever since his arrival in 2016, and the best left-back operators in Guardiola's tenure have been by players not playing in their natural role. Joao Cancelo was recently voted into the PFA Team of the Season by his fellow professionals after a stellar 2021/22 campaign.

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Looking even further back, Fabian Delph - a central midfielder by trade - excelled as City's inverted left-back and played a huge role in the club's record-breaking 100-point season. But, out of all the contenders, no man has showed as much patience and commitment as Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Arriving at the club as one of the finest attacking midfielders, Zinchenko was selfless enough to slot in at left-back and learn his craft under Guardiola. His persistence was been rewarded with starts in some of City's biggest matches - including the 2021 UEFA Champions League final.

For both club and country the quality of his performances has steadily improved and he was particularly impressive for Ukraine in their recent World Cup qualifiers against Scotland and Wales. It has certainly sprung him onto the radar, and maybe the player feels now is the time to take the next step.

Should Cucurella - at the top of Guardiola's transfer wish-list alongside Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips - join the Blues, chances in the team for Zinchenko could prove to be limited.

Or could they?

Securing a natural left-back is obviously a big desire for