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Manchester City are to open the bidding for wing-back Marc Cucurella but Brighton want around £50m.

The 23-year-old is open to joining City but the deal will hinge on Brighton’s valuation.

City are expected to propose up to £40m including add-ons and are prepared to consider alternatives if Brighton hold-out for a greater fee. Chelsea are monitoring developments too.

Current City full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has attracted interest from Arsenal, Everton and West Ham, and the Premier League champions could look to replace him with Cucurella.

Meanwhile, from Chelsea’s perspective, they may view Cucurella as the ideal player to provide competition for Ben Chilwell next term, with the England international only recently returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury. 

The Spanish defender impressed at the Amex Stadium in his first season in England as Graham Potter’s side secured their first top-half finish of the Premier League era.

Cucurella could potentially replace Oleksandr Zinchenko at Manchester City

He could also provide competition for Ben Chilwell at Chelsea if he moves to Stamford Bridge

And with City and Chelsea keeping tabs on him, it seems that he could be set to play Champions League football next season if he does leave Brighton.

The Seagulls sold Yves Bissouma to Tottenham on Friday, though, and are likely to drive a tough bargain, should they be prepared to lose another of their prized assets.

Cucurella still has four years left on his contract at the club, leaving Brighton in a strong position at the negotiating table.