After weeks of speculation, Marc Cucurella has left Chelsea to join Real Madrid.
The left-back, who is currently representing Spain at the 2026 World Cup, was heavily linked to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, but it was Los Blancos who moved fasted to capture him.
Chelsea accepted Real Madrid's offer of £51.8 million with Cucurella becoming Jose Mourinho's first signing of the summer.
And although some supporters were surprised by how quickly an agreement was reached, the reason Chelsea didn't hesitate is really interesting.
Why Chelsea agreed to let Marc Cucurella join Real Madrid
Only a handful of players, including Joao Pedro, are considered 'untouchable' this summer, but Cucurella obviously wasn't one of them.
And according to The Athletic's Simon Johnson, the reason BlueCo remained open to letting the Spaniard move on was due to the emergence of Jorrel Hato.
The 20-year-old looked out of favour under Enzo Maresca but ended up enjoying a great individual campaign thanks to former head coach Liam Rosenior, and then later Calum McFarlane.
Hato started in 12 Premier League matches and proved to be a versatile addition in the squad.
The young Dutchman proved he is capable of playing at centre back and left-back — key to the Blues' willingness to cash in on Cucurella.
The bar of expectation just got higher
No one has ever doubted Hato's potential but with Xabi Alonso, who will take charge from July 1, now expected to put his full trust in the defender, the bar just got a lot higher.
With Hato set to replace Cucurella in the starting lineup, that will allow the Blues to focus their attention on making signings for other positions, including at centre-back and in midfield.
Enzo Fernandez remains a contender to leave Stamford Bridge before the start of the 2026-27 season. Should the Argentine depart, you would suspect the bulk of the club's transfer budget to go on bringing in a high profile replacement.
Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali is a midfielder who has been spoken about a lot recently with speculation the Blues could sign the Italian mounting.
Regardless of what new additions Chelsea make this summer, Hato is set for a massive season, and one that could be truly career-defining.
Since joining from Ajax last year, Hato, who has six years left on his contract, has been directly involved in three goals in 36 matches in all competitions.
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