Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella is reportedly set to become a top transfer target for Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2026.
The Blues surely won’t want to lose Cucurella after his improved form in the last year or so, but it seems he’s firmly on Atletico’s radar.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Diego Simeone’s side may even be preparing a €40m bid for Cucurella, though one imagines Chelsea would want a lot more than that to even consider a sale.
The Spain international has become an important player for Chelsea despite initially making a bit of a slow start when he first joined from Brighton.
Jorrel Hato is now another option at left-back since moving to CFC from Ajax this summer, but Cucurella looks like he remains Enzo Maresca’s first choice, so is a sale really at all realistic?
Could Marc Cucurella leave Chelsea for Atletico Madrid?
Marc Cucurella in action for Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Fichajes explain that Atletico want a new left-back and view Cucurella as a potentially crucial addition for their project.
While that may well be true, it doesn’t mean much if Chelsea don’t want to sell the 27-year-old, so it will be interesting to see if this saga really progresses anywhere.
One imagines there might be a price that would make Chelsea think about cashing in on Cucurella, but it would surely be a lot higher than the €40m Atletico are said to be preparing to offer.
Overall, though, this report is from a slightly speculative source and just doesn’t quite seem to add up to anything that seems particularly concrete or likely, unless a lot changes in the months ahead.