About five years ago, then-Spanish champions Atlético de Madrid made a push to sign Marc Cucurella from Getafe. Cucurella, a graduate of La Masia with wild Sideshow Bob-style hair and a fiery attitude to match, had just enjoyed a breakout season under José Bordalás; the winger and occasional full-back made his Spain debut that summer under extraordinary, COVID-influenced circumstances.
Though he wouldn’t represent Spain’s senior team again until 2024, the word about Cucurella was out. Nonetheless, Atlético CEO Miguel Ángel Gil balked at paying the player’s €25 million release clause, and Getafe’s president Ángel Torres sold him to Brighton that August. In 2022, Cucurella signed a six-year contract at to complete a €65 million transfer to Chelsea; two years later, he became a European champion with Spain, and he won both the UEFA Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup last season.
Cucurella now regarded as one of Europe’s top left-backs — and Atlético are ready to try for his signature again this summer.
David Medina and Isaac Suárez at Marca reported Tuesday that Cucurella is a priority target for Atlético sporting director Mateu Alemany this summer. The 27-year-old is the “big objective” to reinforce the defense, which will undergo several changes in the months ahead: Medina and Suarez say that Alemany plans to offload Josema Giménez and Clément Lenglet to sign a “complementary” central defender who will compete with Dávid Hancko, Marc Pubill and Robin Le Normand.
“It’s clear to Alemany that Cucurella should be the big investment in defense, both for his ability to significantly raise the level at a position that has been the squad’s Achilles heel in recent years, and because Matteo Ruggeri (in the current squad) is the only natural fit at the position,” Medina and Suárez wrote.
Despite Chelsea’s recent appointment of Xabi Alonso as its new head coach, Cucurella is believed to be angling for an exit this summer as he wants to return to Spain and the Blues will not be playing Champions League football next season after a tumultuous campaign. Cucurella vocally opposed BlueCo’s decision to sack Enzo Maresca in January, and he said in March that it would be difficult to reject a move back to FC Barcelona — the other Spanish team expected to bid for him in the weeks ahead.
According to Marca’s report, Alemany wants to sign Cucurella before the FIFA World Cup begins in three weeks, amid concern that his price (probably in the region of €50 million already) will grow if he plays well for Spain. In a thin market at left-back, the national team does have another full-back in Bayer Leverkusen’s Álex Grimaldo who could be a good fit at Atlético. But it sounds like Cucurella — for his versatility, adaptability and tenacity — is the absolute priority.
