Chelsea have signed Marc Cucurella from Brighton as Thomas Tuchel’s summer spending spree continues. The Spanish defender was a hot property during the summer transfer window, with Manchester City and Barcelona both interested in signing him.
He is on the move again after joining Brighton from Getafe in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of £15.4 million.
He had a fantastic season with the Seagulls, winning the Players’ Player of the Season award as well as being voted Player of the Season.
Chelsea will pay Brighton £55 million (€65 million/$67 million) plus a potential £7 million in add-ons to sign Cucurella.
The defender’s arrival has sparked some debate, with Brighton denying earlier this week that a deal had been struck.
They wrote on Twitter: “CLUB STATEMENT: MARC CUCURELLA. Contrary to inaccurate reports from numerous media outlets this evening, no agreement to sell Marc Cucurella has been reached with any club.”
Chelsea, on the other hand, turned the transfer on its head with a tongue-in-cheek tweet of their own, taking aim at the Seagulls.
Cucurella was wanted by Manchester City earlier this summer, but the club could not agree on his £50 million valuation. They made an initial bid of £30 million, which was rejected, and then increased their offer to £40 million, which was also rejected by the Seagulls.
Barcelona was another suitor for the defender, and he was open to a move to the La Liga club because he is from Catalonia. However, the deal fell through because Brighton refused to lower their price. Chelsea were given a window to begin negotiations, and the Blues agreed to pay the sum.
During the negotiations, Brighton were also pushing to sign youngster Levi Colwill – and that deal has also now been completed, the versatile defender arriving on a season-long loan.
Cucurella should fit right in at Chelsea’s left back position. However, he will be up against Ben Chilwell, who will be looking to reclaim his form after an injury-plagued 2021-22 season.
He was a member of Chelsea’s pre-season trip to the United States and appeared to be ready to return to competitive action.
Marcus Alonso is another candidate for the position of left wing back. He is one of Tuchel’s most trusted lieutenants and has seen extensive preseason action.
However, he is rumoured to be leaving the club for Barcelona, which should reduce competition for the new signing.
