Chelsea are "pretty optimistic" about clinching a deal to sign Brighton & Hove Albion star Marc Cucurella, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Manchester City were in the driving seat to sign the left-back, but the Londoners appear to have hijacked the deal and find themselves in pole position.

What's the latest news involving Cucurella?

Despite having more pressing areas on the pitch to address, including a striker to provide competition and cover for Kai Havertz, Thomas Tuchel clearly isn't content with his defensive options.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

GiveMeSport The Verdict

That's because, according to The Guardian, Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Cucurella, who's been on City's radar for the majority of the summer.

This comes after The Athletic claimed that Brighton and City had recently ended negotiations for the Spaniard, who handed in a transfer request on Friday, with the reigning Premier League champions unwilling to pay the Seagulls' £50m asking price.

But Chelsea have now swooped in and the Blues are set to match Brighton's valuation of Cucurella, who currently earns £50,000 per-week.

What did Romano say about Cucurella?

Romano believes that Chelsea are now confident of making Cucurella their third summer signing and are willing to include young defender Lewi Colwill as part of the deal.

He told GIVEMESPORT: "Chelsea are pretty optimistic in the last few hours. They're prepared to include Colwill as part of the negotiations. He's one of the players rated highly by Brighton, and we will see the value discussed because this is the real issue to solve between the two clubs."

Do Chelsea need Cucurella?

Some might look at Chelsea spending £50m on a left wing-back when they've already got Ben Chilwell as quite unexpected.

But with Marcos Alonso likely to leave before the window closes, Chelsea could be left short in that area, even though Emerson Palmeiri, who spent last season at Lyon, remains at the club for the time being.

That could prove a big risk, though, considering Chilwell only recently returned from a long-term knee problem and hasn't started a Premier League game since November, further highlighting why Tuchel is keen on bringing Cucurella to Stamford Bridge.

Furthermore, with Chelsea lacking numbers in the centre of their defence, The Telegraph believe the Brighton star could also provide competition in the back three, a position he played on 10 occasions last season.