Brighton defender Marc Cucurella has submitted a transfer request in order to complete a move to Manchester City.
The development is said to have had no effect on Brighton’s decision to maintain their value for the 24-year-old.
The Seagulls have rejected a £30 million proposal from defending Premier League winners Manchester City and now value the Spaniard at £50 million.
Cucurella had a fantastic first Premier League season after signing from Getafe in a £15 million transfer last summer, and was awarded Brighton’s player of the season.
Brighton do not want Cucurella to leave, and it would take a massive offer for them to trade him because he has four years left on his deal at the Amex.
However, the left-back has now pushed for a move by asking to be sold.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola announced interest in signing a left-back but refused to be drawn into the latest update on Cucurella’s future.
“If possible, yes [we want to sign a left-back],” said Guardiola in a press conference before City’s Community Shield game against Liverpool on Saturday.
“But if not, we stay. Joao [Cancelo] can play there. Josh [Wilson-Esbrand] and Nathan [Ake, too]. I never complain about the squad I have since the first season. What the club can do is the benefit for the club not me.”
When asked about Cucurella specifically, Guardiola said: “He’s a Brighton player, I cannot say anything else.”
The City manager also announced that defender Aymeric Laporte will be out until September after undergoing knee surgery.
On the other side, Brighton manager Graham Potter told Sky Sports News this week that, while he understands that players like Cucurella have career goals and families to consider, a move for his left-back is not worth discussing until the two clubs can agree on a fee.
“You can talk and respond all you want to media suggestions but until there is something where the clubs and the player agree, there is nothing to say,” Potter told Sky Sports News.
“The guys know that it’s part of life and the noise around football, certainly at this level. You can control only what you can control. It’s part of life and it’s as simple as that.
“They’re human beings, while the window is open, the possibilities can happen. That’s for all the players, you have to respect that they have families, careers, ambitions and things like that.
“At the same time, you know it’s part of the game and something they have to deal with. We just have to focus on the next training session and match. That’s the only thing they can do.”
