The first player to swap Rayo Vallecano roots for Chelsea became a legend

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With Chelsea in talks about potentially signing Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano, we have taken a look at former players to have played for both clubs.

Chelsea are in advanced club-to-club negotiations with Rayo Vallecano to sign left-back Pep Chavarria.

Following Marc Cucurella’s £51.8 million transfer to Real Madrid, new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has identified Chavarria as his top choice to fill the void.

While Rayo Vallecano rejected Chelsea’s opening bid for Chavarria, the player is reportedly very keen on making the move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will need to navigate a £21.5 million release clause to secure him, especially with heavy competition looming from Bayer Leverkusen.

If finalised, Chavarria will officially become Chelsea’s first-ever direct signing from the Spanish club.

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Diego Costa set the standard at Chelsea

Diego Costa’s journey to Chelsea stardom actually included a crucial 2012 loan spell at Rayo Vallecano.

Recovering from a knee injury, he scored 10 goals in 16 games, showcasing the ferocious style that would define his career. By the time Chelsea signed him from Atletico Madrid for £32 million in 2014, he was the first player with Rayo roots to play for the Blues.

And as we know, at Stamford Bridge, Costa became an instant legend. He fired Chelsea to two Premier League titles, scoring 20 goals in each title-winning season, cementing himself as a legend.

The other two players to have played for Rayo Vallecano and Chelsea

Aside from Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao and Gael Kakuta are the only other players to represent both Chelsea and Rayo Vallecano.

Kakuta was a highly rated Chelsea academy prospect who made his first-team debut in 2009. But after struggling to secure a permanent starting spot, he eventually joined Rayo Vallecano on loan for the 2014–15 season, scoring five goals.

On the other hand, Falcao arrived at Chelsea on loan from Monaco during the 2015–16 campaign, though injuries limited his impact to just one goal. Years later in 2021, the veteran striker moved to Rayo Vallecano, spending three seasons there.