Chelsea may not have to think too hard about finding a Marc Cucurella replacement this summer. The Blues appear likely to lose the Spaniard, who will be at the World Cup with La Roja this summer.
Cucurella has previously admitted it would be hard for him to reject former club Barcelona, where he came through as a youth prospect and never managed a league outing. This summer, it appears Barca are indeed interested, leading to a potential exit that will reportedly be worth between £34.5million and £43.1million.
Cucurella replacement becomes obvious
Reports in Spain are claiming Cucurella is waiting on a move to Barca, fully willing to make the move, even if nothing is likely to be signed or confirmed until after the World Cup.
But the report also claims Barcelona must decide between currentl left-back Alejandro Balde and Cucurella, with having both players not an option financially.
Balde is not the finished product Cucurella is, but he is only 21 and has heaps of poential. That means Barca must effectively choose between having a player who will help them win now but not in two years, or a player who is less reliable now but could set them up for years to come.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, the answer to their own crisis of losing a top-level left-back may be staring them in the face. If Cucurella does go, then they should be the ones to sign Balde.
The full-back fits the bill as far the club's strategy is concerned, being young and full of potential ,while he is also very capable of playing for a top club, having been a strong feature in Hansi Flick's title-winning Barca side.
Chelsea seem unlikely to go out and pay £60 or £70million to sign someone like Nathanial Brown, who would be a ready-made replacement for Cucurella, and so they should turn to someone they know is available, and would likely be available for a similiar or only slightly higher price than Cucurella, given they know Barcelona will need to seal the deal to facilitate a move.
A swap deal is unlikely, given Balde does have a greater market value due to his age, but it could be a convenient way for both sides to get what they want, albeit Chelsea's preferred option would be to keep Cucurella - they just know the Spaniard is likely to want to return home this summer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google