Chelsea have officially completed the signing of left back Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Hove Albion. Manchester City were also interested in the Spanish defender, but were unable to agree a fee with the Seagulls and had offers of £30m and £40m rejected by the South Coast outfit.
Chelsea then swooped in to beat their bitter rivals to Cucurella’s signing for a fee of £62m, with £55m to be paid upfront and £7m in add-ons. He has inked a six-year deal that will keep him at Stamford Bridge till 2028.
The 24-year-old Cucurella will compete with Ben Chilwell at the Bridge. Chelsea also have Marcos Alonso capable of playing in that position, but Barcelona have shown interest in the veteran, and he is expected to complete a switch to the Blaugrana soon.
Cucurella’s deal has been completed just in time for him to feature against Everton on the opening day of the season, should the Blues so desire. As part of the deal, Chelsea have also sent youngster Levi Colwill on a season-long loan to the Amex Stadium.
Thomas Tuchel has already spent over £150m in the current window, with Cucurella joining Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Gabriel Slonina and Carney Chukwuemeka as the major new arrivals at the Bridge this summer.
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