Marc Cucurella is set to move to Real Madrid for more than £50 million, with Jose Mourinho finalizing a deal with Chelsea for the left-back. The Spaniard will return to his homeland after five years in the Premier League, with Los Blancos paying £51.7 million to secure his signature. The initial fee is £47.4 million, with an additional £4.3 million in add-ons, according to football.london.
Deal Close to Completion
The paperwork is still being finalized, but official confirmation is expected within a week. Cucurella will officially make the move once he returns from the World Cup, where he aims to win a second consecutive major tournament with Spain. Chelsea were not actively looking to sell, but Cucurella was keen to leave Stamford Bridge, and the opportunity to join Real Madrid was too good to turn down.
Mourinho's Decision
Mourinho had turned his attention to the Premier League to strengthen his backline. Reports initially linked Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori with a move, but the decision was made to pursue Cucurella instead. Calafiori has faced injury issues and competition at Arsenal, but Mourinho opted for the Chelsea defender.
Chelsea are still making a loss on Cucurella, who cost £63 million when he joined from Brighton in 2022. He has won the Euros during his time at Stamford Bridge and signed a new deal last summer, with three years remaining on his contract.
New Era at Real Madrid
Mourinho, recently appointed at Real Madrid, has wasted no time bolstering his squad in his second spell at the Bernabeu. The Spanish giants are close to signing Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva on free transfers after their contracts expired at Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively. Inter Milan full-back Denzel Dumfries is also close to securing a move, with the Italian club agreeing a fee with Real.
Mourinho aims to end a trophyless period at Madrid that extended to a second year this season, which cost Alvaro Arbeloa his job. The club has already lost David Alaba and Dani Carvajal as their contracts ended, prompting a swift rebuild.
