Spain star Marc Cucurella makes Real Madrid switch after four years at Chelsea
By Robert O'Connor, Press Association
Real Madrid have signed defender Marc Cucurella from Chelsea for £52 million (€60 million), bringing to an end a four-year stint at Stamford Bridge for the Spain international.
A deal was reached with the LaLiga side on Sunday for a 27-year-old whose future in west London had been in doubt ever since he publicly criticised the running of the club in March.
He has agreed a deal that will keep him at the Bernabeu until 2032.
Cucurella has been one of the more successful signings of the BlueCo ownership era since joining from Brighton for £62 million (€71.7 million) in 2022, one of the first buys following the takeover of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
After a difficult start, he became key to the side that finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League under Enzo Maresca a year ago, as well as winning the Conference League and Club World Cup.
He was openly critical of the decision to part with Maresca in January, claiming it “destabilised” the team during the second half of the season.
He also criticised the club’s recruitment plans and claimed after the thrashing by Paris St Germain in March that the squad lacked experience.
He was one of a group of players whose performance levels dropped significantly during the brief spell in charge of Liam Rosenior, who was sacked in April after only three months.
Chelsea’s Spanish-speaking contingent were known to have been unhappy with the departure of Maresca and consequently Rosenior’s authority quickly waned.Cucurella has became a mainstay in the Spain team during his time at Chelsea and is likely to feature heavily at the World Cup in North America.
Real, who confirmed the appointment as manager of Jose Mourinho last week, have been linked with a move for Cucurella’s former Blues team-mates Enzo Fernandez, who has openly courted the attention of the Madrid club.
The Argentina international has told the club he wants to leave but Chelsea will demand a fee of £120 million for a player with six years to run on his contract.
