Chelsea outcast Marc Cucurella could leave Stamford Bridge in the upcoming transfer window after Mauricio Pochettino deemed him surplus to requirements.
According to ESPN, the Blues are ready ‘to listen to offers’ for the Spanish left-back, who has tumbled down the pecking order since the Argentine manager took over the reins in July.
Following his stellar 2021/22 breakthrough Premier League campaign at Brighton & Hove Albion, the 25-year-old left Sussex to join Chelsea in a staggering deal worth £62 million last summer.
However, his performances came nowhere near his monstrous price tag, let alone the club’s expectations, as Pochettino has benched him for Ben Chilwell.
Despite fielding him in a 1-0 League Cup triumph over his former club on Wednesday, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager has seemingly written off the Spaniard.
Cucurella has yet to register a single minute of Premier League action in the new campaign, with even Levi Colwill performing as a makeshift left-back in Chilwell’s absence.
Since it’s clear the former Getafe defender has no future under Pochettino, Chelsea have put him up for sale, hoping to recoup at least a portion of a massive outlay under new owner Todd Boehly.
There’s a possibility for the unsettled Blues star to return to his homeland after Real Madrid emerged as a potential suitor going into the January transfer window.
Los Merengues signed Fran Garcia in the summer. But his inability to adapt to the new surroundings has seen Carlo Ancelotti reincorporate Ferland Mendy into his starting line-up in recent games.
Madrid would only be willing to land Cucurella on loan with an option to buy, while there’s an understanding that Chelsea would prefer a permanent deal.
They were ready to let their misfit switch to Manchester United on a season-long loan toward the end of the summer, yet the move collapsed at the 11th hour.
With the Red Devils capturing the services of Sergio Reguilon instead, they’ll unlikely reignite their interest in Cucurrela this winter.
