According to some surprise reports on Saturday evening, a Chelsea first team player is said to be moving to La Liga in this summer's transfer window
Despite a defeat to Manchester City in yesterday's 2026 FA Cup final, there is some cautious optimism from the Chelsea fanbase that the future looks bright.
That is because, this morning, the club officially announced the appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new head coach. They confirm he has signed a four year contract in SW6, and will officially begin his post on the 1st of July.
So, it will be very exciting to see what happens. A new manager, and one would assume a new look playing squad, with incomings and outcomings both occuring.
One outgoing that could happen, perhaps surprisingly to some, is left-back Marc Cucurella. Indeed, as Spanish journalist Jota Jordi has said that the 27-year old will "100% play in Spain next season", at either Atletico Madrid or Barcelona.
Wow. Very interesting. Although Cucurella is Spanish, the idea of a move back to La Liga at this stage is not something that crossed many people's mind. Can't rememember many, if any, reports linking such a move previously.
The left-back is from the Catalonia area, a town close to Barcelona. He spent six years in rival team Espanyol's academy, before joining Barca as a 16-year old in 2012, spending eight years at the club before joining Getafe in 2020. A year there was followed up with a year at Brighton and Hove Albion, before four seasons in West London.
After a slow start to life at Chelsea, Cucurella has certainly become more at home in the past couple of seasons. There is some regret within the fanbase that Lewis Hall was let go, however, with there being an idea that they're comparable in quality now, whilst the latter is a whole six years younger than his counterpart.
Nevertheless, it would be tough to replace the Spaniard if he does leave. He has two years remaining on his contract, so it is not like the situation of Joao Pedro - also linked with Barcelona this week - who has seven years left on his deal, and is three years younger.
So, a move for Cucurella does not feel completely outside of the realms of possibility. With his very passionate and emotional style, he feels like he could be a fit for a Diego Simeone side. He also feels like, with his technical ability, he could fit in at Barcelona as well, in a homecoming of sorts. Let's wait and see.
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