Marc Cucurella has completed his move to Real Madrid and has become the second most expensive defender of all time, in terms of cumulative transfer fees. The 27-year-old is at the World Cup with Spain, hoping to add another big trophy to his CV after winning the European Championship two years ago. But while he is training with his international teammates in the United States, it has been confirmed that he has left Chelsea for Real Madrid.
An official announcement from the Spanish giants on Monday read: 'Real Madrid C. F. and Chelsea FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Marc Cucurella, who will be linked to our club for the next six seasons, until June 30, 2032.' A statement from Chelsea concluded: 'Everyone at Chelsea FC would like to thank Marc for his efforts during his time at the club and for the role he played in our recent achievements.'
The deal for the left-back is reportedly worth €60 million (£51.7 million), with €55 million up front and another €5 million in add-ons. After three big moves in his career, to Brighton, Chelsea, and now Real Madrid, Cucurella is now the second costliest defender in history. With the additional fees of moving from Barcelona to Eibar and then Getafe, Spanish publication Marca reports that Cucurella has now cost clubs €156.1 million (£134.8 million), plus the €5 million in add-ons in the latest deal.
That puts him second on the all-time cumulative transfer fee list for defenders behind Manchester United's Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutchman came through the ranks at Ajax and has made big-money moves to Juventus, Bayern Munich, and now the Red Devils. Those transfers total a whopping €197.5 million (£170 million), and the Netherlands international is still just 26 years old. Behind Cucurella in third place is Joao Cancelo (€145.4 million) after big moves to Valencia, Juventus, Manchester City, and Al Hilal.
The most expensive footballer in terms of cumulative fees remains Neymar, after his whopping deals to take him to Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and then to Al Hilal. The Brazilian forward cost €400 million over those three deals, with the insane fee of €222 million that PSG paid Barcelona for him in 2017 making up the bulk of it. Romelu Lukaku is second on the overall list, according to Transfermarkt, clocking in at €369.92 million in cumulative fees. The Belgian has done so over far more transfers, with moves to Chelsea (twice), Everton, Manchester United, Inter, and Napoli contributing to the huge total.
