Manchester United have contacted Chelsea to discuss a possible loan move for Marc Cucurella as Erik ten Hag looks to bring in a left-back before the window closes on September 1, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Romano claims that United are yet to make an official bid for the Spain international, who joined the Blues from Brighton last summer in a deal worth in excess of £60m, but he’s one of their prime targets.
Cucurella has struggled for consistency so far at Stamford Bridge and could leave the club after just one season. He was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the summer but the North Londoners seem to have cooled their interest in the 25-year-old.
Last term, he racked up 33 appearances and recorded two assists across all competitions in his debut season for Chelsea under both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard as they finished 12th in the Premier League table – conceding 47 goals in the process.
New manager Mauricio Pochettino prefers Ben Chilwell ahead of Cucurella and the former has started all of Chelsea’s first three league games of the new season while the latter has been named among the substitutes.
The former Brighton star is versatile and can play a number of positions including left wing-back and would be a good addition to Man United if they could wrap up the deal over the coming days.
Left-back reinforcement
According to Fabrizio Romano, Cucurella is one of three left-backs on Man Utd’s list of targets as they look to sign a new full-back before the window closes on September 1st.
United have also opened negotiations with former Leicester City defender Ryan Bertrand over a possible move as Ten Hag explores all available options in bid to sign a replacement for Luke Shaw.
Shaw will be out for several weeks after suffering a muscle injury while his back-up Tyrell Malacia is also on the sidelines – leaving United without any specialised left-back. Ten Hag was forced to deploy Diogo Dalot on the left side of defence against Nottingham Forest at the weekend but he was extremely poor in a narrow 3-2 comeback win.
The Red Devils have also sold Brandon Williams to Championship side Ipswich hence they have to bring in another left-back to bolster their squad for the season.
Cucurella is valued at £30m by Transfermarkt, however, due to United’s limited budget, they are hoping to sign him on a loan deal.
Read more: Man Utd receive boost in pursuit of £26m defender after Fabrizio Romano update
