Real Madrid sign Cucurella from Chelsea in first transfer since return of Mourinho

[p]The ‌clubs did not disclose financial terms, but British media reported the ‌deal was worth up to 51.8 million pounds ($69.5 ‌million).[/p][p][b]"[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea FC[/a] have reached an agreement for ‌the transfer of the player [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cucurella-marc/QTynbZd3/"]Marc Cucurella[/a], who ‌will be linked to our club for the next six seasons, until June 30, 2032,"[/b] Real said in a statement.[/p][p]Real ‌are looking to strengthen after a disappointing ⁠2025-26 season, in which ‌they missed out on the LaLiga title and were eliminated ​from the Champions League in the quarter-finals.[/p][embed guid="d7b82cf4-bcd0-4916-a8da-85b07f26f398" url="https://x.com/realmadriden/status/2066449786933239851" social-type="twitter" /][p]Club president Florentino Perez, who recently extended his reign ​by four more years, had promised to bolster Real's defensive options during his re-election campaign.[/p][p]Cucurella joined Chelsea from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brighton/2XrRecc3/"]⁠Brighton & Hove Albion[/a] in ​2022 for a reported deal worth up to 63 million pounds, and went on to make 163 appearances in all competitions for the west London club.[/p][p]The 27-year-old ‌endured a rocky first season at Stamford Bridge, struggling for form and consistency.[/p][p][b]He later established himself as a regular under manager Enzo Maresca, often deployed as an inverted full-back, and won the Conference League and the Club World Cup in 2025.[/b][/p][image alt="Cucurella's recent stats" id="35a297be-ee4e-47d9-a500-8de9a85813c2" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="fa4c35cc-b9ea-4fc8-ab78-abf2fd58604d" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]He has also become a key part of the Spanish national team since making his debut for them in 2021, earning 23 ‌caps for Luis de la Fuente's side and winning ​the European Championship in 2024. He is in ‌the country's squad for the 2026 World Cup.[/p][p]In March, Cucurella publicly criticised Chelsea's youth-heavy recruitment strategy, saying the club needed to strike a better balance between youth and experience.[/p][p]Chelsea finished the 2025-26 Premier League ⁠season in 10th ⁠place, outside European qualification ‌places.[/p]