29 Apr 2026 09:00 BST |
4 min read
Chelsea face a battle to retain Marc Cucurella this summer, with the left-back pushing to leave in a €50 million deal to Barcelona.
The Blues are without a permanent manager following the sacking of Liam Rosenior, while they require a strong conclusion to the season if they are to reach the Champions League next season.
Key midfielder Enzo Fernandez continues to flirt with a move to Real Madrid, and now Cucurella wants to leave the West London club to join Barcelona, according to a report from Mundo Deportivo.
Cucurella ‘welcomes’ Barca interest
Cucurella is said to “welcome” interest from Barcelona, the Spanish source says.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have put a price tag of €50 million on the former Brighton and Getafe player, who they signed for €65m in 2022.
The 27-year-old has recently courted controversy in the wake of Rosenior’s sacking, with Gary Neville claiming that he and Enzo ‘stitched up’ the former manager.
“Cucurella and Fernandez – experienced players and probably the only two experienced players that Chelsea have got – stitched him up in the last few weeks by calling out the fact that they basically love Maresca, but they weren’t doing that well under him,” the pundit claimed on Sky Sports.
Barcelona focusing on Balde and Cancelo
While the headline news may be written on Cucurella, Barcelona are not planning a summer bid for the Spain international.
Mundo Deportivo goes on to explain that Barca’s summer transfer priorities remain securing a left-footed centre-back – Alessandro Bastoni is the favourite – and a centre-forward to replace or provide competition for Robert Lewandowski.
Instead, Barca are ready to retain Alejandro Balde and sign Joao Cancelo on a permanent basis. Balde has been linked with several Premier League clubs, but the 22-year-old’s aim is to remain with the Catalans. Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa and even Chelsea may still try their luck, though.
Cucurella perfect for Barcelona
Despite Barca’s focus being elsewhere, leading pundits in Spain are salivating at the prospect of Cucurella joining Barcelona.
“A player like Chelsea’s tenacious defender would be a perfect fit for Barca. The star, born 27 years ago in the Barcelona town of Alella, is currently at the peak of his career. He would be a superb signing for Flick in a position that everyone agrees needs strengthening for next season,” Hector Coca writes in Mundo Deportivo.
“€50m is a perfectly reasonable price for a proven international like him. And besides, he’s a Catalan and an undisputed starter for Spain. He’s a Barcelona player through and through.”
Analysis: Chelsea will not sell Cucurella
Losing Cucurella would represent a tremendous blow to Chelsea’s ambitions for the future.
The Stamford Bridge club have gone public on their belief that they need more experienced figures in the squad. To have both Cucurella and Enzo pushing to leave is, therefore, concerning for the BlueCo project.
However, Cucurella is under contract until 2028, so Chelsea hold the cards. It would be a major surprise if they were to allow one of their most influential and popular players to depart as it would lead to further questions over the direction the club is moving.
