Chelsea’s only been actively involved in the transfer market for about a month, but that has felt like an eternity to fans. The Blues have missed out on almost every target they’ve pursued (thanks, Barcelona) and only managed to sign two players thus far. These two—Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling—additions strengthen Chelsea in many ways. However, it’s a bit disappointing to many that there are still so many questions being asked of the team less than a week away from the start of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
Many of these uncertainties come in the form of the defense. The Blues lost both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger to La Liga giants this summer. Koulibaly is a superb signing that strengthens the starting XI significantly, but there is still a need for at least one more defensive player. Chelsea has pursued many different targets thus far, all have been met with stern rejections. The Blues have tried to play nice throughout this window, they’ve been toyed with one too many times though. Now, they’re trying to hijack Manchester City‘s deal for a defender.
Chelsea is in talks to hijack Man City’s deal for Brighton’s Marc Cucurella
The Citizens’ interest in Brighton left back Marc Cucurella is one of the worst kept secrets in all of football. Pep Guardiola loves the player, and the admiration is mutual. Man City sold its now former left back Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal a number of weeks ago to clear up space for Cucurella in the squad. It even went as far as to get the Spaniard to hand in a transfer request to his current employers. Yet, the Seagulls haven’t budged on the Citizens’ current offer as it’s lower than what they requested for their versatile fullback. This—coupled with Man City’s financial stubbornness—has led to a standstill between the two sides.
The fact that Cucurella has handed in a transfer request already means that Brighton seemingly has to accept the fact that he’s going to leave this summer. However, this doesn’t mean the Seagulls need to get lowballed in the process. Enter Chelsea. The Blues have been bullied by Barcelona all summer long, and they’re now looking to dish out some revenge to a domestic rival. Chelsea has swooped in and entered negotiations with Brighton and Cucurella over the last few days as it looks to hijack the deal from Man City before it crosses the finish line.
Teenage phenom Levi Colwill could be a pivotal part of making this transfer happen. Any deal for Cucurella by the west Londoners could see the 19-year-old go the other way, be it on loan or a permanent transfer. Brighton has displayed a lot of interest in the youngster this summer, one of the many teams inquiring about his availability.
Todd Boehly seems determined to get this deal done quickly as he’s reportedly already communicated to the Seagulls that he will pay their asking price for the 24-year-old. Cucurella would be an excellent addition to Thomas Tuchel’s team as he’s capable of playing left back, left centerback and left wingback. The cover he provides at left centerback would mean the Blues wouldn’t be in the worst position if they were unable to bring in another centerhalf this summer. They’re still in talks for Wesley Fofana and Josko Gvardiol, but both of those deals are incredibly difficult to complete due to their rumored prices.
However, Chelsea can begin to thin out its defensive depth if Cucurella is signed. The Blues could sell Marcos Alonso to Barcelona and Emerson to Lazio this summer, both deals that’ve been heavily rumored for weeks. The club has been reluctant to move either of the left backs knowing Ben Chilwell could take a bit of time to return to form following his ACL injury. Cucurella would give Chelsea the necessary depth at left fullback, all while providing cover along the back three as well. The Brighton defender is an expensive plan ‘B’ for the Blues, but he solves a lot of issues. For this reason, all supporters should be on board with the signing of Cucurella.
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