Chelsea is reportedly closing in on another signing, with reports starting to emerge surrounding a move for Brighton defender Marc Cucurella. Chelsea confirmed they had signed Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella on a six-year contract. Chelsea has offered Brighton and Hove Albion more than PS50million for left-back Marc Cucurella, The Athletic has learned, while they are also directly talking with Barcelona about the possibility of signing midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
Chelsea is understood to have agreed on terms with their Premier League counterparts following Marc Cucurella’s acceptance of the personal terms in his six-year deal. However, the agreement is nowhere near being completed as initially thought. Chelsea has agreed on intimate terms with defender Marc Cucurella, meaning that just signing the contract and medicals must still occur before a formal announcement is made. Chelsea will hope to sign the 24-year-old in time for their Premier League opener on Saturday against Everton. After Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa, and Gabriel Slonina, who will remain on loan with Major League Soccer (MLS) team Chicago Fire until the end of the season, Cucurella is the London club’s fourth summer addition.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly said, “Marc is an elite defender of proven Premier League quality, and he further strengthens our squad going into the new season. We continue to work on and off the pitch, and we’re delighted Marc will be a part of the present and future at Chelsea.” After an outstanding debut season in the Premier League with the Seagulls, where he made 38 starts across all categories and scored his sole goal in their last home game against Manchester United, the versatile defender joins the club only weeks after turning 24. Cucurella was named Player of the Season by Brighton fans and teammates because of how well and quickly he adapted to English football, playing in various roles on the left side, notably full-back, wing-back, and centre-back.
Two seasons ago, Ben Chilwell was acquired from Leicester for £50 million, and Cucurella will compete for playing time at left-back. Still, head coach Thomas Tuchel claims that his new acquisition offers flexibility throughout the defensive line. Cucurella was available for transfer, but Manchester City wasn’t able to match Brighton’s asking price for the Spain international. Cucurella’s acquisition sets a new record for Brighton, beating the £50 million Arsenal spent for centre-back Ben White last year. It also equals the full-back record cost of £60 million, which City paid to acquire Joao Cancelo from Juventus to the Etihad in 2019.
