Report: Arsenal now very close to signing 25-year-old, club are about to bid for his replacement

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Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Manchester City full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko and the Sun reports that Pep Guardiola is about to bid for his replacement – Brighton’s Marc Cucurella.

As Zinchenko edges closer to following Gabriel Jesus to play under Mikel Arteta, it seems Guardiola is already lining up his replacement.

The Sun reports the Spaniard will step up his bid for his compatriot as he looks to replace Zinchenko, who’s heading to Arsenal in a deal worth £30 million.

The report also states that signing a new left-back is a priority for the City boss, with the Seagulls demanding up to £50 million for Cucurella.

However, it claims that the Manchester club are reluctant to match this price tag and may have to look elsewhere. 

Guardiola is having a real shake up of his City squad this summer, as Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho have already left the club. And now a fourth departure looks imminent, as Fabrizio Romano reports that the Gunners have agreed a deal for Zinchenko. 

The latest reports that City are now stepping up their chase of Cucurella, also highlights that they are preparing for life without their 25-year-old Ukrainian international.

So far, City have brought in midfielder Kalvin Phillips, one of Europe’s most in-demand strikers in Erling Haaland and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.

But it seems that Guardiola isn’t done with shaking up his squad just yet as he is reportedly planning to move for Cucurella.

The ‘unreal’ 23-year-old only signed for the Seagulls last summer in a deal that is believed to be worth £15.4 million (BBC). But after just one season in the Premier League, he is already being chased by the league winners.

He enjoyed a brilliant debut season under Brighton boss Graham Potter and picked up two player of the season awards at the club.

The Spaniard is a product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and may be naturally suited to playing in Guardiola’s system. But if reports are true, his club will have to pay a hefty fee to get his man.

TBR’s View: Guardiola is rebuilding his brilliant City side

As Zinchenko looks to be heading out the exit door, he could become the fourth player to leave City this summer. And Guardiola is replacing his stars brilliantly, as the club have brought in Phillips and Haaland to replace Fernandinho and Jesus.

Cucurella was excellent for Brighton last season and seems like a perfect fit for Guardiola’s system. But they’ll have to pay a lot of money for the Spaniard and it remains to be seen whether they will match Brighton’s asking price.

Guardiola is moving on players that have played in his system for years and is now rebuilding a new-look City side. It will be interesting to see a slightly different Manchester City side in the upcoming season.