Chelsea have signed Spain defender Marc Cucurella from Brighton in a deal worth more than £60m. The 24-year-old left-back, who scored one goal in 38 games in his only season for the Seagulls, has signed a six-year contract. “I’m really happy. It’s a big opportunity for me to join one of the best clubs in the world,” said Cucurella. “I’m going to work hard to be happy here and help the team.”
It is Brighton’s record sale, surpassing Ben White’s £50m move to Arsenal last summer. A Barcelona academy graduate, Cucurella has won one senior cap for Spain and played for the under-23 side that won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Last month Brighton rejected a £30m bid from champions Manchester City for Cucurella, who handed in a transfer request after City expressed an interest.
“We did not want to lose Marc, but he wanted the opportunity of playing Champions League football with a view to accelerating his progress to Spain’s World Cup squad,” said Brighton manager Graham Potter.
“He had an excellent first season in the Premier League, deservedly winning both our player of the season awards, and has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the past 12 months.”
