Report: Cucurella hands in transfer request

While Brighton and Manchester City remain apart on their valuations of Marc Cucurella, the Spain left-back is doing what he can to speed up a transfer.

The BBC's Simon Stone reports the 24-year-old Cucurella has handed in an official transfer request to the Seagulls.

City manager Pep Guardiola has identified his countryman as the perfect replacement for Ukraine defender Oleksandr Zinchenko who departed the club for Arsenal earlier this month in a £30 million move.

The gulf in valuations between the two clubs is significant at the moment. City's initial £30 million bid for the player was rejected with Brighton believing to be holding out for something in the neighbourhood of £50 million. Stone notes that for his part, Cucurella believes that Brighton's ask is unrealistic.

A native of Alella, Cucurella joined Brighton last offseason in a £15 million move and signed a five-year deal with the club. He made 35 Premier League appearances last season, scoring once.

Internationally, Cucurella was a member of Spain's gold medal-winning squad at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. A product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, Cucurella received his first senior cap in a June 2021 friendly against Lithuania.