Manchester City To Start Formal Contacts With Brighton For Star Defender

After securing the £51 million signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund on Monday, Manchester City have swiftly moved onto other key transfer targets to bolster their already star-studded squad.

The reigning Premier League champions have won four of the last five domestic titles, but Pep Guardiola is already eyeing even more silverware with some world class additions.

With Fernandinho bidding a fond farewell to the Etihad a month ago, the next order of priority for Manchester City is finding a suitable replacement. Despite links with Paul Pogba and Declan Rice, it looks like Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips is the Blues' prime target.

Left-back is also a position that needs attention, with multiple players producing excellent cameos in the position as cover. Oleksandr Zinchenko has been brilliant in spells, but Joao Cancelo's emergence as a makeshift left-back was really the standout performer.

However, it seems like Manchester City are not willing to risk it for another season, with links to Brighton & Hove Albion's Marc Cucurella growing every day.

Marc Cucurella has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City (News Images / Alamy)

The latest update from Po Ballus at the Athletic confirms the Blues will start formal contacts with Brighton within days to discuss his potential move to the North West.

His performances in the 2021/22 season has thrown the Spaniard onto Manchester City's radar, with the South Coast outfit wanting a big fee, close to what they got from Arsenal for Ben White last summer.

Despite a keen interest in the 23-year-old, the club are reportedly prepared to walk away if Brighton demand a fee in excess of £50 million.

Manchester City will want to secure his signature before the club fly to the United States in three weeks time. The Blues begin their pre-season with games against Club América and Bayern Munich, before returning to England to face Liverpool in the annual Community Shield curtain raiser.

There, of course, is the added complication of Oleksandr Zinchenko's situation. There have been reports the Ukrainian may move on in search of regular game time, so his exit would likely accelerate negotiations for Marc Cucurella - avoiding Pep Guardiola's squad becoming light in that particular department.

Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo are a dynamic full-back pairing, but in a disrupted World Cup season, squad depth will be tested more than ever.