Chelsea are in advanced talks with Brighton & Hove Albion over a deal to sign Marc Cucurella, football.london understands. Manchester City have been the front-runners to sign the Spaniard all summer-long, but talks between the Premier League champions and Brighton recently broke down.
Cucurella handed in an official transfer request at the Amex Stadium last week, but Brighton did not lower their asking price – that is around £50million. Chelsea are now confident they can match that and have made it clear to the Seagulls that they will indeed do so.
Levi Colwill has been floated as an option in a player-plus-cash deal for Cucurella. It's yet to be seen whether Brighton, who are interested in Colwill, will take that offer or whether they would prefer £50m up front.
