With the credible David Ornstein reporting that Arsenal are set to wrap up the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko for £30 million, Manchester City are in urgent need of reinforcements at left-back.
Despite Joao Cancelo’s rousing success in an unnatural position last term, the Sky Blues currently only have two senior full-backs in their ranks.
As a result, it has been previously claimed that Marc Cucurella was City’s number one target to replace the outgoing Ukrainian.
It was stated that the decision was made back in May, with Pep Guardiola believed to be a massive admirer of his fellow countryman.
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However, Brighton & Hove Albion’s valuation in excess of £50 million is what has seemingly led to the deal stalling for the past couple of weeks.
Keeping that in mind, it was mentioned on Monday that the Premier League champions were interested in signing Borna Sosa.
It was revealed that alongside City, the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona had queued up to secure his signature next season.
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Since his arrival at VfB Stuttgart in 2018, the Croatian international has gradually cemented his reputation as one of the Bundesliga’s finest left-backs.
Over the past two seasons, the 24-year-old has registered an impressive 18 league assists for a side that finished ninth and 15th in back-to-back campaigns.
While all signs point to the Zagreb-born defender being an astute alternative to the Seagulls left-back, a fresh update suggests the club’s thoughts on the potential transfer.
As per the latest information provided by journalist Ben Jacobs, Borna Sosa is on City’s radar and will be allowed to leave VfB Stuttgart for £20 million this summer.
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However, the signing of Marc Cucurella from Brighton remains Pep Guardiola’s preference.
This revelation does not come as much of a surprise, as it has been previously claimed that City will step up in their efforts to land the Spaniard after Zinchenko’s exit from the club is confirmed.
It is believed that Cucurella himself is keen on a move to the Etihad Stadium, as he cheekily teased the move on social media.
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Emerging as Brighton’s 2021/22 Player of the Season, the La Masia academy graduate emerged as one of the Premier League’s standout left-backs.
While City are expected to continue keeping tabs on Sosa as a backup option, it is likely that they would like to finalise a deal for Cucurella as soon as possible.
Considering their pre-season tour of the United States begins on Wednesday, he would likely not join the squad until their annual Community Shield curtain raiser.
They face Liverpool at the King Power Stadium in under a fortnights' time.
Topics: Manchester City, Bundesliga, Premier League, Marc Cucurella, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours
Srinivas Sadhanand