Manchester City considering £30m move for Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella

Manchester City are closely monitoring Brighton and Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella.

The 23-year-old joined Brighton last summer and has hugely impressed City manager Pep Guardiola. He scored his first Premier League goal earlier this month in the 4-0 rout of Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton accept that the Spain international – he has played once for his country so far - will leave the club sooner rather than later but are hoping to hold onto Cucurella for at least one more season.

A fee of £30million has been mooted for the attacking defender who joined Brighton from Getafe for £15.4million. The left-back position has been problematic for City with Benjamin Mendy unavailable after being suspended as he awaits trial on rape charges.

Joao Cancelo has played at left-back as has Oleksandr Zinchenko but Guardiola is looking for a player more comfortable in that position and Cucurella, who came through the Barcelona academy and is well-known to the City manager although he did not make a first-team appearance, fits the bill.

It remains to be seen whether City make a push for Cucurella, who fits the age and profile of player Guardiola wants, during the next transfer window.

Guardiola is also expecting Ilkay Gundogan to stay at City despite reports that the club are open to offers for the midfielder who has one year left on his contract. The 31-year-old German international was Guardiola’s first signing at City and it is understood the manager was shocked at claims that he was prepared to allow the player to leave at the end of this season.

If Gundogan is allowed to leave there will be no shortage of clubs in Spain or Italy willing to sign him. However senior sources at City insist that no-one at the club wants him to go and insist he remains a key part of the manager’s plans.