Manchester City report: Citizens plot £30m bid for Brighton's Player of the Year

Manchester City target Marc Cucurella
(Image credit: Getty)

Manchester City have identified Brighton’s Marc Cucurella as a summer target, say reports, after an impressive debut Premier League season for the Spaniard.   

The 23-year-old joined the Seagulls from Getafe last summer and quickly became an important member of the squad, making 34 league appearances. According to the Daily Mail, City will make a £30 million bid to sign the former Barcelona defender.

That's almost double what Brighton shelled out a year ago to bring Cucurella to England, but City are eager to bring in a natural left-back.

Pep Guardiola

(Image credit: Getty)

Joao Cancelo has enjoyed a superb season, but his natural role is at right-back, while Oleksandr Zinchenko has been Pep Guardiola’s other go-to man in the role.

The report points out that Cucurella has won possession 241 times this season, more than any other full-back in the division.

His attacking return isn’t particularly impressive - one goal and one assist - but the one-time Spain international’s impact was underlined in the end-of-season awards.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah challenges Manchester City's Joao Cancelo.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cucurella was named Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season, and was blown away by the achievement.

“It is amazing, not possible in my first season here in this league,” he said.

The Barcelona youth product’s form has helped Graham Potter’s side have a good season, with the club on course to achieve a top-half finish.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.