Chelsea are pushing to replace Marc Cucurella with Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano, and the Spanish side’s price tag is a bargain given the ‘book profit’ made on Cucurella’s exit.
Chelsea decided to cash in on Marc Cucurella last month after Real Madrid agreed to pay an initial £47.5m for the Euro 2024 winner, with a deal expected to reach a total of £51.8m if add-ons are met.
RATE 1-10: Is Marc Cucurella’s exit good business by Chelsea?
Given Chelsea spent £60m on Cucurella four years ago to sign him from Brighton, it works out as a ‘book profit’ of around £17.5m. A decent bit of business from Chelsea, with Cucurella always keen on an exit.
Now, Chelsea are plotting to replace Cucurella with another Spaniard in 28-year-old Rayo Vallecano star Pep Chavarria. It is believed Chavarria is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, with talks currently ongoing.
Rayo Vallecano’s new price tag is a bargain for Chelsea
Chavarria has caught the eye notably over the past 12 months after a wonderful season with Rayo, in which they reached the final of the Conference League before losing 1-0 to Maxence Lacroix’s Palace.
Initial reports on Wednesday said Chelsea had made a tiny offer of £7.75m, as well as add-ons. But a new report from Marca says Chelsea have actually made an offer worth £10.3m, but it’s below Rayo’s price tag.
Marca claims Rayo want a total of £17.2m if they are going to sell. It’s a bargain fee for Chelsea, not only because they are within £7m but because Chelsea earned a book profit of £17.5m after selling Cucurella.
Not only have Chelsea got an influx of almost £50m from selling Cucurella, but in the eyes of Financial Fairplay, Rayo’s asking price is the profit made on Cucurella. It means no FFP loss if Chavarria is signed.
Do you want to see Pep Chavarria, Marco Palestra or Jorrel Hato at left-back next season?
Chavarria didn't do a bad job in the Conference League final against Crystal Palace
Marc Cucurella v Pep Chavarria compared: The stats
The stats, at least defensively, are remarkably similar, and given the price differences, that suggests even more so that Chavarria is a bargain. Slightly below Cucurella on a few, but produced more clearances.
| Metric | Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) | Pep Chavarría (Rayo) |
| Tackles Won (Total) | 40 | 31 |
| Interceptions (Total) | 28 | 29 |
| Clearances (Total) | 42 | 86 |
| Fouls Committed | 45 | 34 |
| Aerial Duels Win % | 46.5% | 41.5% |
When it comes to going forward and creating chances, Cucurella did outperform Chavarria last season but a lot of that is down to the differences in how Chelsea and Rayo played. Rayo wanted balls in the box.
| Metric | Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) | Pep Chavarría (Rayo) |
| Total Touches | 2,410 | 2,086 |
| Pass Completion % | 87.8% | 84.6% |
| Chances Created | 31 | 27 |
| Crosses Swung In | 41 | 59 |
| Successful Dribble % | 52.1% | 38.6% |
Ultimately, Chelsea are getting a player that suits Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 system as a wing-back. He can play left-back but the differences are minimal, while Chelsea will have to pay £30m less than Cucurella’s figure.
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