Marc Cucurella’s move from Brighton to Chelsea has been confirmed in a deal that could reach £62m. Chelsea are paying a guaranteed £55m for the left-back and up to another £7m in add-ons.
The 19-year-old Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has joined Brighton on a season’s loan and Marcos Alonso is confident Cucurella’s arrival will clear the way for him to move to Barcelona. Alonso is waiting for the green light from Thomas Tuchel.
Cucurella has signed a contract to 2028 and Chelsea registered him in time for a potential debut on Saturday at Everton. The 24-year-old had also been a target for Manchester City, who were not willing to meet the asking price.
Brighton’s head coach, Graham Potter, said: “We did not want to lose Marc but he wanted the opportunity of playing Champions League football with a view to accelerating his progress to Spain’s World Cup squad. Of course we are disappointed to see Marc leave, but we wish him well for the future. He had an excellent first season in the Premier League, deservedly winning both our player of the season awards, and has been an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Cucurella joined Brighton from Getafe last summer and has made one appearance for Spain. Tuchel said one benefit of the signing was to ease the pressure on Ben Chilwell, who suffered a cruciate injury last November.
“He’s young, hungry, mobile and a very intelligent player,” the manager said of Cucurella. “It helps in depth and in quality, and it helps with Ben, to escape the pressure of: ‘I have to deliver and we need you absolutely now.’”
Brighton have allowed Shane Duffy to join Fulham on loan after signing Colwill, who spent last season at Huddersfield.
