Chelsea defender reveals he would have ‘gone on his knees’ to Manchester City in 2022 | OneFootball

Manchester City seemingly had the preferences of Marc Cucurella in 2022 as the Spaniard weighed up his future with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Cucurella was strongly linked with a sensational switch to the Etihad Stadium three summers ago as Manchester City sought the addition of an out-and-out left back to their first-team squad after Oleksandr Zinchenko’s departure to Arsenal in July 2022.

Brighton made it clear they had no intention to sell Cucurella as he looked to spark a bidding war between Manchester City and other suitors, with the 27-year-old keen for a fresh challenge after enjoying a stellar 2021-22 campaign at the Amex Stadium.

City registered their interest in the Spain international, who was believed to be desperate to join forces with Pep Guardiola in Manchester to challenge for major trophies and play in the UEFA Champions League.

“When they (Manchester City) come like they did and when (Pep) Guardiola asks you to, you’ll go on your knees, if necessary,” Cucurella said while appearing on Informe Plus for Movistar, as relayed by El Desmarque and translated by Sport Witness.

“They (Manchester City) were on fire and were one of the best teams in the world. I absolutely wanted to go.”

However, despite unsettling the defender, who was also understood to have refused to train with Brighton as he pursued an exit, Manchester City were not able to strike an agreement with the Seagulls.

“But the clubs couldn’t reach an agreement. Brighton had exorbitant demands and it just wasn’t possible,” Cucurella added.

With ties severed between player and club, Cucurella explored alternative destinations later in the summer of 2022 as he was keen to make a step up in his career and move to a club fighting for silverware.

Chelsea made a late attempt to snatch the Spaniard from Brighton and secured Cucurella’s signature for £60 million – a sale that justified the resilience held by negotiators at the Amex Stadium to hold out for what they felt was market value for one of the club’s best players at the time.

Manchester City went on to win a historic treble in the subsequent 2022-23 season without a natural left-back in their ranks and while Cucurella has gone from strength to strength after a difficult first few months in west London, there will always be some part of the Spain international that regrets how it all played out between Brighton and City in 2022.

City signed Josko Gvardiol in 2023 and the Croatia international, though a primary centre-half, operated as a left-back in his first two seasons at the Etihad Stadium – before the Blues signed Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves in the recent summer transfer window.