Chelsea have signed Mark Cucurella from Brighton in a deal worth over £60million.
The 24-year-old, who has agreed to a six-year deal, was signed up in time for Saturday Night Football’s clash with Everton. sky sports.
Chelsea have dug into Brighton when announcing the deal, echoing the format of a tweet earlier this week, denying reports that an agreement had been reached for the defenders.
He comes after the arrival of Raheem Sterling (£47.5m) from Man City, Kalidou Koulibaly (£33m) from Naples, Gabriel Slonina (£12m) from Chicago Fire and Carney Chukuemeka (£20m) from Aston Villa. The total expenditure will be £20m. 172m so far.
Saturday, August 6, 5:00 p.m.
5:30pm kickoff
Cucurella will have minutes at left-back with Ben Chilwell, who was signed by Leicester for £50m two seasons ago, but head coach Thomas Tuchel says his new acquisition will bring versatility across the backline. said to bring
“useful [fit-again] Ben said, “I have to deliver, and I definitely need you right now,” to escape the pressure,” Tuchel said.
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell wants Chelsea to beat Wesley Fofana’s world record, will Cristiano Ronaldo have reprieve?
“We also have Marcos Alonso and Emerson, but Marc is an option for this position and he can play very well in the back three. He has the profile of Aspi (Cesar Azpilicueta) with his left foot. It gives us many options.
“Ben is very ambitious and can’t wait to get back into training with the team. He needs a little more time to adapt to the rhythm and physicality of the game itself. This is normal. Requests. It’s a tough league and we’ll take care of him and don’t throw him away.”
Manchester City tried to sign Cucurella but failed to live up to Brighton’s assessment of the Spanish national team.
Marc Cucurella was ranked in the top six in the Premier League for tackles and ball recoveries in defensive areas last season, but he made quite the contribution on the pitch.
Cucurella’s transfer is Brighton’s record sale, surpassing the £50million Arsenal paid centre-back Ben White last summer.
Man City failed to sign Cucurella.
It’s also a record amount for a full-back and rivals City’s £60m deal to bring Joao Cancelo from Juventus to the Etihad in 2019.
The Blues are looking to sign Leicester defender Wesley Fofana.
Wesley Fofana a target for Chelsea
They are also believed to be a candidate for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is Manchester United’s top target this summer.
Colwill joins Brighton on loan from Chelsea
Levi Colwill joins Brighton on season loan from Chelsea.
The England U-19 defender will spend his new Premier League campaign at Albion after a successful season at Huddersfield Town.
Head coach Graham Potter said: “Levi’s have huge potential and have already shown that in the Championship last season and with the England under-21 age group.
“I am really looking forward to working with him on the training pitch and in games throughout the season.
“He plays mainly at centre-back, but he also plays at left-back and is a good player with the ball.”
The new season of the Premier League on Sky Sports
- 128 exclusive Premier League matches.
- The first pick for each weekend’s game in the Premier League season.
- Football’s best team of experts including Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness, Micah Richards and Roy Keane.
- Kelly Cates and David Jones will be live streaming Friday Night Football, Saturday Night Football, Super Sunday and Monday Night Football.
- In-game goals and clips for mobile devices from Sky Sports live matches.
- Expanded Highlights on Demand and Premier League channels.
- Sky Sports is the ultimate destination for domestic football with live coverage of the Premier League, EFL, Scottish Premiership and Women’s Super League.
- Click here for details on Sky Sports