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.
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Chelsea's interest in Cucurella can be dated back to when the 24-year-old was playing for Getafe. However, the Spaniard joined Brighton in 2021 for around £16.2m, but Chelsea's interest has only grown fonder after a superb debut season in the Premier League.
The Blues actually have three left-back options at the moment, in Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri, but Cucurella is seen as the man to improve Thomas Tuchel's squad right now. Cucurella can also play on the left-hand side of a back-three, which may be the plan.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remain in dialogue with Leicester City over the signing of Wesley Fofana. The Foxes do not want to sell the 21-year-old defender, who signed a new contract with the club earlier in the year, but Fofana is open to moving to Stamford Bridge.
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