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Chelsea confirm cucurella signing worth 60m
Man City tried to sign Marc Cucurella but was unable to meet Brighton’s valuation; Cucurella will become Chelsea’s fourth major signing of the summer after Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Carney Chukwuemeka
Chelsea has confirmed an agreement for the transfer of left-back Marc Cucurella from Brighton in a deal worth in excess of £60m.
The 24-year-old will become Chelsea’s fourth major signing of the summer.
He follows the arrivals of Raheem Sterling from Man City (£47.5m), Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli (£33m), and Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa (£20m) for a total expenditure of £160m so far.
Cucurella will be vying for minutes at left-back with Ben Chilwell, who was signed from Leicester for £50m two seasons ago – but head coach Thomas Tuchel says his new-signing provides versatility across the backline.
“It helps for [fit-again] Ben [Chilwell] to escape the pressure of ‘I have to deliver and we need you absolutely now’,” said Tuchel
The transfer of Cucurella is Brighton’s record sale, surpassing the £50m Arsenal paid for center-back Ben White last summer.
It is also a record-equalling fee for a full-back, matching the £60m deal City agreed to bring Joao Cancelo from Juventus to the Etihad in 2019.