Manchester City and Chelsea have Marc Cucurella alternative as saga nears end

Manchester City and Chelsea have reportedly kept Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri on their shortlists as a potential alternative to Brighton full-back Marc Cucurella should a deal for the Spaniard fall through.

That’s according to the Daily Express, who state that the Paris-born starlet has piqued the interests of the Premier League giants with just one month left in the transfer window.

Both teams have made little secret of their bid to sign Cucurella, who seriously impressed at Brighton last season following a £16m move from Getafe.

The Citizens seemed to be leading the one-horse race to sign the former Barcelona youngster, especially given that former star Oleksandr Zinchenko had departed for Arsenal and freeing up space in the left-back slot in the north west. However, they have reportedly refused to pay more than £40m for his services, allowing Chelsea into the race.

In his exclusive CaughtOffside column, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has said that the Blues are set to swoop in from under their noses after stumping up the £50m fee that Brighton desired.

And that could turn City’s attention to Ait-Nouri, although bosses at Molineux believe that their youngster is not for sale after a strong showing in pre-season.