Chelsea star ready to snub transfer in attempt to impress Mauricio Pochettino and earn his place at Stamford Bridge: Reports
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has reportedly snubbed the opportunity to leave the club and instead is keen to impress new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Spanish left-back was signed from Brighton and Hove Albion for a mammoth fee of £62 million last summer. He failed to live up to the hype at the club and was in fact booed by his own fans in the latter part of the season.
Cucurella made 33 appearances for the Blues last season but failed to impress onlookers as he often made silly errors, particularly in defence. His poor string of performances reportedly pushed the Blues to move him on this summer.
The Chelsea board reportedly searched for buyers from the Saudi league. There was also some reported interest from Newcastle United. However, latest reports state that Marc Cucurella has snubbed the chances of leaving the club and instead wants to start fresh under new boss Pochettino.
Chelsea currently have Ben Chilwell and Cucurella to play at left-back. They parted ways with Baba Rahman this summer but Levi Colwill, who is back from loan, is also capable of playing at left-back, as is Benoit Badiashile.
It is likely to be a tough fight for Cucurella, with Chilwell currently understood to be the first-choice left-back at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea revamp continues this summer
After spending a gargantuan £600 million in player purchases last summer, the Blues are looking to off-load several players this time around to balance their squad.
They have already parted ways with eight players, including some big names like Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante, and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Chelsea have reportedly raised around £212 million in player sales this summer and it is likely to rise with others like Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Conor Gallagher also reportedly close to an exit.
The Blues have brought in two new first-team players, Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig and Nicolas Jackson from Villareal.