Real Madrid agree Â£47.5m deal for Chelsea's Cucurella

Cucurella secured the Conference League and Club World Cup during his time at Chelsea

Published 58 minutes ago

Real Madrid have reached an agreement valued at up to £51.8m to acquire Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella following the World Cup.

The 27-year-old is presently representing Spain at the competition hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but a permanent transfer worth £47.5m plus an additional £4.3m in performance-related add-ons has been finalized between all involved parties.

Since president Florentino Perez was re-elected and appointed Jose Mourinho as head coach, Real are believed to be also pursuing Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva and Inter Milan full-back Denzel Dumfries, while France defender Ibrahima Konate is set to join after departing Liverpool.

Cucurella, who moved to Chelsea for £63m from Brighton in 2022, was reportedly keen on a return to Spain, having progressed through Barcelona's youth academy. He had been linked with Atletico Madrid and a potential move back to Barcelona.

The Catalan also gave an interview during the March international break criticizing Chelsea's management following Enzo Maresca's mid-season exit.

He was part of a key group of Spanish-speaking players who were unhappy with the circumstances and struggled to perform under Maresca's successor, Liam Rosenior.

Cucurella had two years remaining on his contract, despite agreeing to improved terms without a contract extension last season, which likely factored into Chelsea's choice to accept the offer.

Rosenior was ultimately dismissed, with Chelsea finishing 10th and missing out on European qualification despite the interim appointment of Calum McFarlane as caretaker manager.

Former Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has since been named as the club's permanent manager for the 2026-27 season.