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Chelsea confirm the £62m signing of Marc Cucurella with playful dig at Brighton’s social media denial just two days ago… and the defender could make his debut against Everton tomorrow
- Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Marc Cucurella for £62m from Brighton
- The Spaniard has become the seventh most expensive defender of all time
- Chelsea will send centre-back Levi Colwill on loan to the Seagulls for the season
- The Blues moved swiftly after hijacking Man City’s pursuit of the full-back
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Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of Marc Cucurella from Brighton in a deal worth £62million, with the defender becoming their fifth summer arrival.
The Spanish full-back has agreed a move to Stamford Bridge after he completed a medical with the Blues on Thursday afternoon.
Chelsea will pay an initial fee of £55million for Cucurella, plus a potential £7million in bonuses – while Levi Colwill will join the Seagulls on loan.
Chelsea have confirmed the £62million signing of Brighton full-back Marc Cucurella
His arrival has already caused excitement amongst Thomas Tuchel and his staff, who described the former Barcelona player as ‘terrific’ on Friday.
In his press-conference, Tuchel said: ‘It’s not done yet. I don’t want to say I know nothing about it but the paperwork is in process and we hope to get it done before noon. Marc is a terrific player. He can play several positions.’
The ex-Barcelona player becomes the seventh most expensive defender of all-time – with Harry Maguire still topping the list following his £80million move from Leicester to Manchester United in 2019.
The signing sees Todd Boehly’s summer spending exceed £150million, following the arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina already.
The Spaniard made 35 appearances for Brighton last year – scoring one league goal
The Brighton defender completed a medical with the Blues on Thursday, having handed in a transfer request on the south coast in light of interest from Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side had been in pursuit of the full-back but were eventually put off by the large asking price – which Chelsea were happy to meet.
Cucurella, who can play at left centre back, left back or left wing-back, would act as cover for Ben Chilwell and potentially compete for a starting option at left centre back, where Chelsea are light after the departure of Antonio Rudiger on a free.
The Blues will also send defender Levi Colwill on loan to the Seagulls – having spent the last season playing at Huddersfield.
In a separate deal, Blues star Levi Colwill is expected to join Brighton on loan for the season