Chelsea have set Marc Cucurella’s price tag amid interest from Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the wantaway left-back.
Cucurella joined Chelsea from Brighton in the summer of 2022 for an initial £55m, with the fee rising to £62m with add-ons, and after a difficult start to his career at Stamford Bridge he’s established himself as a fan favourite and one of the club’s most consistent performers.
But the 27-year-old broke ranks following Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in March to hit out at the club’s decision to sack Enzo Maresca and the model of signing young players.
“We lacked experience,” Cucurella said. “For a lot of players, it was the first time playing a match of that calibre, and we paid the price…
“Results like that are always hard to take. You are fighting and training every day only to realise, at the very end, that when games matter, we are still a bit away from the top level.
“I understand this is part of the club’s policy, and that they want to take this direction – signing young players and looking to the future. But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged.
“We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies such as the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players that had gone through situations like that.
“You need time as well, and I know the young players are the ones that will have the experience in the future. But you need to find the balance between both worlds.”
Cucurella also admitted it “would be hard to turn down” a move to Barcelona if his boyhood club made an offer, and reports have since claimed that Manchester City – now managed by former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca – and Atletico Madrid are also keen on the full-back.
Chelsea open to Cucurella sale
A report from The Athletic on Monday claimed Cucurella is ‘willing to leave’ Chelsea and has interest from ‘multiple clubs’.
The report added:
‘According to club sources, Chelsea are relaxed because he has three years left on his contract. Those sources say Cucurella’s future at the club is yet to be decided, though they would not block his departure if an offer matched their valuation of the full-back. Several teams are aware of Cucurella’s situation, with some clubs keeping close tabs.’
And now talkSPORT have confirmed that Chelsea are open to Cucurella’s sale if their price tag is met.
while Ateltico Madrid hope to pay under €50m [£43m] for the left-back, Chelsea want €70m [£61m] ahead of a World Cup in which Cucurella looks set to start for a Spain team who are among the favourites to go all the way.