Real Madrid announced on Monday the signing of Marc Cucurella from Chelsea on Monday, when the left-back is scheduled to play in the opening game for Spain. world cup.
The 27-year-old Cucurella, one of the most easily recognizable players in the world with his long curly hair, has signed a six-year contract, Madrid announced, for a fee reported by the BBC of 60 million euros (about $70 million).
This could be the first of many signings since Madrid’s arrival. Jose Mourinho becomes manager last week and Re-election of Florentino Perez As club president. Perez has already said he wants to sign Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate and Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries.
Cucurella joined Chelsea from Brighton in 2022, the year the London club was bought by its current American owners, and has established himself as one of the world’s best left-backs, making a contribution. spain wins 2024 European Championship.
He will be part of Spain’s squad for the North American World Cup, with the team’s first group match against Cape Verde in Atlanta.
Chelsea are under pressure to sell some of their top players this summer after failing to qualify for next season’s European competition.
Cucurella came under some scrutiny in March when he questioned the club’s decision to fire manager Enzo Maresca in January in an interview with The Athletic.
“The moment Maresca left, it had a huge impact on us,” he was quoted as saying. “These are decisions taken by the club. If you had asked me, I would not have made this decision. It is best to wait until the end of the season to make such changes.”
Chelsea struggled in the second half of the season, languishing in 10th place in the Premier League and losing 8-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Cucurella began his professional career with Madrid’s fierce rivals, Barcelona. He also played for Eibar and Getafe before moving to England in 2021, initially with Brighton.
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