Report: Brighton's Cucurella submits transfer request to force City transfer

Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella has submitted a transfer request in an attempt to expedite a transfer to Manchester City, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

Manchester City failed with their initial £30-million offer to sign the Spanish left-back earlier this summer, which was below Brighton's reported £50-million valuation.

Brighton are understood to be reluctant to part with Cucurella, who joined the Seagulls from Getafe last year. They also had the upper hand in negotiations, given that the 23-year-old has four years left on his contract.

However, the rejected bid and the tempting opportunity to play for the reigning Premier League champions may have influenced Cucurella's decision to notify Brighton of his desire to leave.

City are a bit light at left-back following Oleksandr Zinchenko's departure to Arsenal earlier this month, but manager Pep Guardiola said he's prepared to stick "with what we have" if the club doesn't find a replacement.