Real Madrid pulled off a surprise signing when they agreed a deal to bring in Marc Cucurella from Chelsea. The Spaniard had looked more likely to make a return to Barcelona or join their city rivals Atletico.

So, Real Madrid certainly pulled off quite the coup. But that also led to question marks over other left-backs in the squad.

Alvaro Carreras was signed by the club for around €50 million just last summer. He was a nailed-on starter under Xabi Alonso but did not seem as important after the manager's mid-season departure.

Now, with Cucurella coming in, Carreras is expected to fall further in the pecking order. And it did not take long for rumours to emerge regarding a potential reunion with Alonso at Chelsea.

That would be quite the turn of events, since Real Madrid had signed Chelsea's starting left-back. But for now, it looks like they are planning ahead with Carreras still part of the project, now set to be led by Jose Mourinho.

Fabrizio Romano said regarding the situation while speaking on his YouTube channel: "Alvaro Carreras, one of the players that was discussed with Chelsea because Chelsea had an interest in Carreras but never sending any bid, never advancing.

"Carreras was part of the list but never a priority. Now what's important to mention is that Real Madrid internal decision as of today might change. There is a lot of time before the end of the window, but as of today, the intention of Real Madrid is very clear and is to keep Alvaro Carreras as the backup for Marc Cucurella.

"So the idea of Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho is Cucurella starting left-back, Alvaro Carrera's backup option. Fran Garcia to leave the club."

So, that is a bit of a U-turn when it comes to Carreras. Initially, it. had been suggested by many outlets that Real Madrid carrying on with a €50 million left-back, if he won't play regularly.

Yet, it looks like they are now willing to do exactly that. Fran Garcia is the one who could be heading for the exit door. It is believed that he has a chance to join Real Betis in what could be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Coming back to the Carreras situation, it also means that Chelsea won't be getting the chance to sign the left-back, who was a favourite of Alonso during his time at the Bernabeu.

It will be very interesting to see how Chelsea go about trying to replace Cucurella at left-back. As for Real Madrid, that automatically becomes one of the strongest positions in the squad.

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Mourinho's teams are known for being defensively solid. And that is exactly what you can expect with the depth they seem to be building at the back.

Other than Cucurella, the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries will also be arriving. And there are suggestions that Los Blancos could look for another centre-back. Names like Tomas Araujo and Nico Schlotterbeck have been linked.

Of course, that would be another expensive operation as well, if completed. It is great to see the club showing this kind of ambition in response to a couple of underwhelming seasons that did not bring any major trophy.

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