Real Madrid agree to sign Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella in £52m deal

Real Madrid have reached a verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea in a package worth up to €60m (£52m).

The deal is broken down into an initial £47.4m fee (€55m/$63.5m) with an additional £4.3m (€5m/$5.7m) in potential add-ons.

Cucurella,27, only signed a new deal at Stamford Bridge last summer, but sources say Cucurella was open to leaving after the club missed out on European football following a tenth-place finish in the Premier League.

The Spain left-back, who joined Chelsea for £63m from Brighton in 2022, was understood to have been keen to return to Spain, having come through Barcelona’s academy. He had been linked with Atletico Madrid and a move back to Barcelona.

Cucurella has made a total of 163 appearances for Chelsea since signing from Brighton for £60m (€69.5m/$80m) in 2022. He was part of the Spain squad which won Euro 2024 and will feature again at the 2026 World Cup.

Cucurella had three years left on his contract, despite agreeing improved terms without an extension last season, which is likely to have played a part in Chelsea’s decision to accept the offer.