It came out of nowhere on Sunday evening, but Chelsea have agreed to sell Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid for a fee close to £52m in total – but is it a profit?
News that Cucurella was leaving came out of nowhere. The Spain star has agreed a six-year deal, and it even seemed to come as a surprise to his partner, Claudia Rodriguez, who posted a statement today.
RATE 1-10: Is Marc Cucurella’s exit good business by Chelsea?
Cucurella is considered one of the best left-backs in European football, and Jose Mourinho has raided Chelsea for the fifth time since his first stint at Stamford Bridge to secure the player for an initial £47.5m.
In add-ons, Chelsea will also receive a further £4.3m if all conditions are met. It takes a potential deal to £51.8m, which is an £8.2m loss on the fee Chelsea paid Brighton during BlueCo’s first summer in charge.
Chelsea have made a profit on the sale of Marc Cucurella
But Financial Fairplay does not work on comparing the transfer fees when the player is bought. BlueCo have based their model on player amortisation, and Cucurella was four years into his Chelsea stint.
Nizaar Kinsella has more information on BBC Sport on whether Chelsea have made a book profit on the sale of Cucurella. Indeed, Kinsella claims that Chelsea have made a profit, on the books, of £17.5m.
Given Cucurella has been desperate to leave, despite his comments about Xabi Alonso in the last few days, it makes sense for Chelsea to cash in, especially given the form of Jorrel Hato in recent weeks.
Who are Chelsea targeting to replace Andrea Cambiaso?
Plenty of left-backs have been linked with Chelsea this summer, with Cucurella’s future in doubt. Recently, Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso has emerged as a target for the Blues, and he suits Xabi Alonso.
Who would you sign to replace Marc Cucurella? 🫵
Andrea Cambiaso is the latest player to be linked.
All the metrics suggest that the 19-time Italy star would fit an Alonso side, if he uses a 3-4-2-1 system. Following the news regarding Cucurella, reports said Chelsea wanted Maxi Araujo and Lewis Hall.
The latter, a former Chelsea academy product, is deemed unlikely given he only left Chelsea a few years ago for £28m. The chances are that, Alonso’s Leverkusen flyer Alejandro Grimaldo will be linked, too.
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