Marc Cucurella 'wants to fight for Chelsea place'

The 24-year-old made the switch from Brighton & Hove Albion to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £62m last summer, and although he was eventually joined in the capital by former Seagulls boss Graham Potter, the left-back struggled during his first campaign for the Blues.

Making just 21 Premier League starts, the Spaniard was part of a Chelsea side who finished 12th in the English top flight under a mixture of Thomas Tuchel, Potter and club legend Frank Lampard.

The defender is determined to enjoy a better 2023-24 campaign with the West Londoners according to the Evening Standard, who claim that Cucurella wants to fight for his place as a first-team regular.

Mauricio Pochettino has been brought into the managerial position in West London as the Blues look to compete for European football after a highly-disappointing 2022-23 campaign.

It is understood that Chelsea's hierarchy are willing to listen to offers for left-back Cucurella in this summer's transfer window, as the club aim to trim down their bloated squad ahead of a Premier League opener against Liverpool next month.

The report claims that La Liga giants Atletico Madrid are interested in bringing the defender back to Spain, although it is believed that the player is against moving away from Stamford Bridge.

Despite numerous links, the left-back's agent recently hit out at suggestions that his client had been offered a route back to the Spanish top flight, calling the reports "fake" earlier this month.

Cucurella began his senior career at Camp Nou in 2017 with Barcelona, before successful periods at Eibar and Getafe earned him a lucrative move to the Amex in August 2021.

It is also believed that the full-back has gained admiration from a number of teams in the Saudi Pro League, although it is unlikely that the player will be following in the footsteps of former teammates and moving to the Middle East.

Chelsea have already offloaded three players to Saudi Arabia this summer, with Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly all securing switches to the riches of the Saudi Pro League.

The Blues have also sold some of their first-team stars to Premier League rivals, with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz moving to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.

Despite the West Londoners not being against parting ways with Cucurella, the Spaniard reportedly has his heart set on competing with England international Ben Chilwell for a starting spot in Pochettino's new-look team.

Chelsea begin their pre-season schedule with a friendly against Wrexham on July 19 in North Carolina, before the Blues step up their preparations for the new term by facing the likes of Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund later in the month.