Real Madrid have agreed a deal worth up to £51.8 million (€60 million/$69.3 million) with Chelsea to sign Marc Cucurella, sources have told ESPN.
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. The 27-year-old 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.
It is unclear whether Cucurella held talks with incoming Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, who does not officially start work until July 1 but new Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer of the Spanish defender.
Marc Cucurella has been an important player for Chelsea since his move from Brighton in 2022 but criticised the club back in January. Visionhaus/Getty Images Real are believed to have beaten off competition from Barcelona and Atlético Madrid to reach an agreement and talks moved quickly once a verbal agreement was reached between Real and the player.
The Spaniard was outspoken in his criticism of the Blues' decision to sack Enzo Maresca in January, suggesting the club was "more stable" with the Italian in charge.
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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.