Real Madrid beat Barcelona to sign Marc Cucurella through 2032

Real Madrid announced on Monday that they have signed left back Marc Cucurella from Chelsea. The 27-year-old Spain international, who is at the World Cup with his national team, has agreed a contract until 2032 after five seasons in England, one with Brighton and four with Chelsea.

Madrid will pay Chelsea 55 million euros plus up to 5 million euros in bonuses tied to the player’s targets. The move was a key request from Jose Mourinho, who wanted major reinforcement at left back because he was unhappy with his current options.

The signing also reflects Madrid’s defensive situation. Ferland Mendy is expected to miss much of next season because of injury, Fran Garcia is on the way to a Premier League move, possibly to Chelsea, and Alvaro Carreras is viewed as one of the biggest disappointments since his arrival from Benfica last summer.

Cucurella had already reached advanced talks with Atletico Madrid, but the club would not go beyond 40 million euros and even considered a loan with an obligation to buy. Chelsea put him on the market after he said he wanted to return to Spain, but delayed because Barcelona and Madrid were both interested. Barcelona struggled to advance because it first needed to sell Alejandro Balde to fund the deal, and Madrid used the opening to finish negotiations in a matter of days. Chelsea approved the offer on Sunday, and Cucurella gave his final consent and signed while with Spain’s national team camp after speaking with Mourinho.