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Xabi Alonso rocked as top Chelsea star makes transfer request
Updated: 8 Jun 2026 09:48 BST |
6 min read
News
Marc Cucurella believes his spell at Chelsea is ‘completely over’ amid serious interest from clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Cucurella has set his sights on joining Barcelona this summer and has already told Chelsea that he wants to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, dealing an early headache to new Blues boss Xabi Alonso.
The Spain international has attracted a good deal of interest from leading clubs and could command a transfer fee of between €40-50 million.
Although Barcelona have made their interest in the left-back clear, the 27-year-old is currently prioritising the World Cup and seems primed to resolve his future following the competition.
Current ETV
Marc Cucurella
D (L)
Chelsea
Marc Cucurella
D (L)
Chelsea
ETV Range
€41.3M - €50.5M
Cucurella’s time at Chelsea ‘completely over
Cucurella has dropped several hints that he wants to leave Chelsea this summer and now, according to Mundo Deportivo, the former Brighton and Getafe star has handed a transfer request to the Stamford Bridge side.
It states: “He considers his time at Stamford Bridge to be completely over, and both he and the London club understand that the best solution is a move during this summer transfer window, provided an offer arrives that is appropriate to his quality and his transfer fee.”
He is aware, the Catalan source reports, that a deal with Barcelona may not be possible for several reasons. Firstly, any transfer seems to hinge on Alejandro Balde leaving the club, which is something that is far from certain. Secondly, improving the defence is now a priority for the Blaugrana right now: they want to find a replacement for Robert Lewandowsk, which could be an expensive affair.
What now for Cucurella?
Even if a deal with Barcelona does not materialise, Cucurella is not short of attractive options. There are several clubs tracking him closely, including Manchester United and Manchester City.
However, Cucurella appears to have set his sights on a return to Spain, where Real Madrid but especially Atletico Madrid are ready to offer him a deal.
The defender is in no rush to nail down his future, with his concentration currently on the World Cup, although Mundo Deportivo does report this could “accelerate” if he receives as “very significant financial offer”.
A major blow to Chelsea’s project
Cucurella’s desire to leave Chelsea is important at a time when the club is in a period of transition, not least because he is one of the few players in Xabi Alonso’s squad with a great deal of experience.
In a very young squad, the general feeling is that the Blues need to increase their number of veteran players and not reduce it.
To make matters worse, this comes at a time when another key figure in Enzo Fernandez is also pushing for a move away, with Real Madrid his most probable destination.
For Alonso, who is being charged with rebuilding a team that did not even qualify for Europe next season, it is a frustrating scenario.
Why does Cucurella want to leave Chelsea?
Both Cucurella and Enzo have grown frustrated with the rudderless direction in which BlueCo has steered Chelsea. The Spain star, in particular, criticised the decision to sack Enzo Maresca when he spoke to The Athletic in March.
“With Enzo Maresca in charge, we were more stable, because we worked together for 18 months,” he said. “If you look at our first pre-season with him (Chelsea won only once in six warm-up friendlies, losing three), there were doubts. You need a process for every player to understand what we need to do. In our last months with Maresca, we played almost by heart. If we changed the system, we knew what we had to do. You need that time.
“Look at Arsenal now, who are fighting for every trophy. They've been with (Mikel) Arteta for almost seven years and they have not won much. But that trust in the project gives rewards.
“The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season…”
Chelsea target Cambiaso as Cucurella replacement – and he’s an upgrade
Chelsea face a major battle to turn the situation around and have already began scouting Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso. It’s a deal that could potentially leave the Blues as net winners from this position.
The data analytics experts indicate that Cambiaso would arrive at Stamford Bridge and would immediately become a key member of Alonso’s squad.
Indeed, he offers a more obvious fit into the left wing-back role that the Spaniard is likely to employ. Cambiaso, who at 26 is a year younger than Cucurella, offers more obvious attacking qualities, particularly in terms of his crossing and dribbling.
SciSports, meanwhile, indicates that he is simply a stronger player than Cucurella. He has a greater SciSkill than the current Chelsea star, with this figure calculated based on hundreds of in-game data points.
The caveat to this is that Cucurella has been in the midst of a dramatic slump in recent months and has a higher peak score than the Italy international. If he were to regain his best level of 106.6, he would be marginally the stronger player.
Nevertheless, it feels like Chelsea have seen the best of Cucurella, and with the player openly pushing to depart, this could be the ideal time for a sale.
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