Jose Mourinho reported to be the driving force behind €60m raid on ex-club Chelsea

Real Madrid appear to have won the race for Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella after Atlético Madrid refused to go beyond their limit.

According to Ben Jacobs, Atlético indicated this week that they did not want to spend more than €50m on the Spanish defender.

Chelsea, however, were never willing to properly engage below that figure, which opened the door for Real Madrid to move more decisively.

That stance from Chelsea makes sense. Cucurella may have had an up-and-down spell at Stamford Bridge, but he rebuilt his reputation strongly and became one of the club’s more reliable defensive options.

Selling him cheaply was never going to appeal to a club still trying to balance squad planning with financial discipline.

Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Chelsea in a deal worth €55m plus €5m in add-ons.

That package takes the move beyond Atlético’s preferred limit and shows how quickly Madrid were willing to act once the opportunity became serious.

Jose Mourinho wanted to sign the Chelsea left-back

The key factor appears to be José Mourinho. The Portuguese manager is believed to have pushed hard for the transfer, viewing Cucurella as the kind of experienced, aggressive and reliable full-back who can immediately improve Real Madrid’s defensive balance.

That is an important detail. Madrid have looked at several left-back options, but Mourinho’s preference for a proven player seems to have driven the move forward.

Madrid moved ahead of Atlético to secure the agreement.

Blues get the transfer fee that they wanted

For Chelsea, this looks like strong business. The Blues signed Cucurella from Brighton in 2022.

Getting a package close to €60m now allows Chelsea to recover a large portion of that fee while giving them room to reshape their defense.

Atlético may feel frustrated, but Chelsea held firm and Real Madrid simply moved with more conviction.

The Blues would not have to enter the market to replace a key player after losing him to Real Madrid.