‘It was close to being done’… Club president reveals £63m Chelsea man was offered to Real Madrid

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A club president has revealed that one Chelsea player was offered to Real Madrid before he made his move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have been extremely active in the transfer window since their takeover deal, with the Blues spending hundreds of millions to improve their squad.

The London giants have twice broken their transfer record with huge £100million-plus deals for Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

One of the first players to make the move to Stamford Bridge under their new ownership was Marc Cucurella, who made a £63million switch from Brighton in August 2022.

Brighton made a huge profit on the Spanish left-back, who spent just one season on the south coast after a £15million move from Getafe.

Cucurella didn’t exactly hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge with an injury-plagued debut season at the club, but he appeared rejuvenated towards the end of last season with 12 consecutive starts under Mauricio Pochettino.

Marc Cucurella transfer to Real Madrid collapsed

Cucurella caught the eyes of scouts around Europe after leaving Barcelona and shining for Getafe, and Brighton pounced quickly to secure his signature.

However, Getafe president Angel Torrez revealed at the club’s 2024-25 kit launch event that Cucurella was very close to signing for Real Madrid.

After being asked about Cucurella’s performances for Spain in Euro 2024, Torrez said “I’m not surprised by the good Euros that Cucurella is doing, I offered him to Real Madrid when I was here and it was close to being done.”

HITC understands that Chelsea’s summer transfer plans include bringing in a new left-back with interest in AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez.

READ MORE: How Barcelona are feeling as Chelsea close in on swoop for striker Marc Guiu

New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will want to implement his inverted full-back system which he previously used at Leicester City and it could spell trouble for Cucurella’s spot in the squad.

However, the 25-year-old has been in fine form for Spain during the opening two matches of their Euro 2024 campaign with the Chelsea defender playing the full 90 minutes in the wins over Croatia and Italy.