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Real Madrid and Chelsea have reportedly reached a broad agreement to make Marc Cucurella the most expensive left back in the club's history.
The Spanish international threw his future at Stamford Bridge into doubt after publicly criticizing Chelsea's unconventional approach toward the end of a disappointing 2025–26 campaign. Although Cucurella had recently shown willingness to give the project another shot following the high-profile appointment of Xabi Alonso as manager, Real Madrid's offer ultimately proved too attractive to turn down.
A verbal agreement between all parties was first reported by Fabrizio Romano on Sunday. José Mourinho, Madrid's newly reappointed manager, was said to have identified Cucurella as his top left back target—a position that caused considerable headaches for the Spanish club last season.
Madrid are expected to spend up to $69.4 million (£51.8 million, €60 million) on the 27-year-old, with a base fee of €55 million plus up to €5 million in add-ons, according to The Athletic.
This represents a significant victory for Madrid, who have fended off competition from the likes of Barcelona—Cucurella's childhood club—Atlético Madrid, and Manchester City to land one of the Premier League's finest left backs. However, it also highlights the costly errors of a club attempting to buy its way back to the summit.
Most Expensive Left Backs of All Time
Rank / Player | Transfer | Fee |
|---|---|---|
1. Lucas Hernández | Atlético to Bayern | $92.5 million |
2. Marc Cucurella | Brighton to Chelsea | $75.6 million |
3. Marc Cucurella* | Chelsea to Real Madrid | $69.4 million |
4. Benjamin Mendy | Monaco to Man City | $66.5 million |
5. Ben Chilwell | Leicester to Chelsea | $58.1 million |
6. Álvaro Carreras | Benfica to Real Madrid | $57.8 million |
7. Ferland Mendy | Lyon to Real Madrid | $55.5 million |
8. Milos Kerkez | Bournemouth to Liverpool | $54.3 million |
9. Lucas Hernández | Bayern to PSG | $52.1 million |
10. Ian Maatsen | Chelsea to Aston Villa | $51.5 million |
* Includes Cucurella's reported fee. All figures via Transfermarkt and converted from € to $.
Real Madrid Paying for Last Summer's Mistakes
Less than a year ago, Real Madrid made Álvaro Carreras the priciest left back in the club's storied history with a €50 million deal—a record that Cucurella is set to eclipse. Even that transfer carried an air of embarrassment for Madrid, who had kept Carreras in their academy for three years without granting him a single first-team appearance before allowing him to leave for Manchester United on a free transfer.
The Premier League's unforgiving environment also failed to bring out the best in Carreras, leaving Benfica once again to restore the confidence of an evidently talented fullback. The 23-year-old's return to Madrid started promisingly—there was a period when Spanish media featured him as the cornerstone of every starting lineup. But the turbulence engulfing the Bernabéu soon caught up with the young Spaniard.
Carreras eventually lost his starting berth to an underfit Ferland Mendy and struggled to make a convincing case for his recall when opportunities arose. A particularly humbling evening being tormented by Michael Olise against Bayern Munich marked his lowest point on the field. A physical altercation with teammate Antonio Rüdiger during training further exposed the simmering tensions within the squad.
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Whether Carreras will be sold to offset some of the substantial outlay for Cucurella remains unclear. Madrid must also weigh up the futures of Fran García—who sits even lower in the depth chart than Carreras—and the injury-stricken Mendy.
Nonetheless, Madrid have moved swiftly to deliver Mourinho his preferred target. Whether that decision will ultimately prove wise remains to be seen.