According to Beton.ng, Chelsea has reached an agreement in principle to sign Marc Cucurella from Brighton, with the Premier League club still negotiating to finalize the deal, sources close to both clubs have told ESPN FC. Chelsea will pay Brighton £52.5 million, which could rise by a further £7m based on add-ons over the course of the player's contract at Stamford Bridge. The London club has been in talks with Brighton since the winter transfer window but has yet to agree on personal terms with Cucurella and finalize details of the deal with their Championship counterparts.
Key Details
Marc Cucurella signed for Brighton last summer after being named the club's Player of the Season and impressing during his debut campaign. Manchester City made a £30 million bid for him last week which was rejected by Brighton who valued him at £50 million. However, it appears that Chelsea is willing to meet their asking price which could prompt an imminent transfer. The Premier League champions are looking to bolster their defense following the departures of both David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger this past summer.
How Will He Fit In?
Marc Cucurella is a Spanish left-back who currently plays for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. The 23-year-old joined the Seagulls from Barcelona last summer and has impressed with his performances, helping the club to a mid-table finish. His price tag of around £52.5 million would represent quite a coup for Chelsea given that he only cost £3 million when signing from Espanyol two years ago. It remains to be seen whether he would be able to break into Maurizio Sarri’s first team or act as cover for Marcos Alonso on the other flank, but it’s likely that Antonio Conte will have been consulted over this transfer given that he coached him at Juventus.
What’s Next?
The next step for Chelsea is to finalize the transfer with Brighton. This will likely involve sending a representative to negotiate with the club, as well as agreeing on personal terms with the player himself. Once that’s all sorted, it’s just a matter of waiting for the transfer window to open so the deal can be made official.
It's worth noting this isn't an uncommon practice for Premier League clubs - Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah from Roma back in 2017 using these exact same steps. Of course, there are plenty of other factors that could cause delays - if Brighton's valuation doesn't match up with what Chelsea wants to pay then things could get complicated quickly, or if disagreements arise over how many additional clauses need to be included within the contract then talks might break down. But provided everything goes smoothly and a fee can be agreed upon, it looks like Azpilicueta's days at Stamford Bridge are numbered!
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