Marc Cucurella: Chelsea confirm transfer agreement for Brighton defender worth in excess of £60m | Transfer Centre News

Chelsea have confirmed an agreement for the transfer of left-back Marc Cucurella from Brighton in a deal worth in excess of £60m.

The 24-year-old will become Chelsea’s fourth major signing of the summer.

He follows the arrivals of Raheem Sterling from Man City (£47.5m), Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli (£33m) and Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa (£20m) for a total expenditure of £160m so far.

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Cucurella will be vying for minutes at left-back with Ben Chilwell, who was signed from Leicester for £50m two seasons ago – but head coach Thomas Tuchel says his new-signing provides versatility across the backline.

“It helps for [fit-again] Ben [Chilwell] to escape the pressure of ‘I have to deliver and we need you absolutely now’,” said Tuchel

“We also have Marcos Alonso and Emerson but Marc is the option on this position and he can play very well in the back three. He has the profile of Azpi with a left foot. He gives us many options.

“Ben is very ambitious, he couldn’t wait to come back to team training. It seems he needs a bit more time to adapt to the rhythm and physicality of the match itself, which is normal. It’s a demanding league, and we have to take care with him and not throw him in.”

Manchester City tried to sign Cucurella but were unable to meet Brighton’s valuation of the Spain international.

The transfer of Cucurella is Brighton’s record sale, surpassing the £50m Arsenal paid for centre-back Ben White last summer.

It is also a record-equalling fee for a full-back, matching the £60m deal City agreed to bring Joao Cancelo from Juventus to the Etihad in 2019.

Chelsea’s business is far from done, with the Blues working on a deal for Leicester defender Wesley Fofana.

They are also understood to be in the running for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, Manchester United’s priority target this summer.

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