Atlético Madrid Targets Cucurella for Summer Rebuild

Atlético Madrid are gearing up for another heavy summer of spending, and one problem area keeps flashing red on Diego Simeone’s board: left-back.

This will be the club’s third consecutive window of major investment, but there’s a sharper edge to the planning this time. Several positions need surgery, yet on the left side of defence the situation has become impossible to ignore.

Matteo Ruggeri, brought in from Atalanta last summer, has not found any real rhythm since landing at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Flashes of promise, yes, but not the steady, reliable presence Simeone demands in a back line that lives on concentration and aggression. With no natural senior understudy beyond academy prospect Julio Diaz, the coach spent long stretches of the season shuffling pieces and asking David Hancko to plug the gap out of position.

That can’t be the script again. Not for a team that expects to compete deep into every competition.

So Atlético have moved. And they have a clear name at the top of the list.

Cucurella at the centre of Atlético’s plan

Sporting director Mateu Alemany has zeroed in on Marc Cucurella as the priority signing for the left side. Within the club, the Chelsea defender is viewed as the ideal profile to walk straight into the starting role: aggressive in the press, comfortable on the ball, and hardened by Premier League and LaLiga experience.

But prising him out of Stamford Bridge will be anything but straightforward.

Chelsea’s summer reset has already begun with the appointment of former Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso. The new man will have a decisive voice on any potential departures, particularly when it comes to players who can form the spine of his project. According to MD, Alonso has already made his stance on Cucurella known internally: he wants the Spaniard to stay.

For Alonso, Cucurella is not a dispensable asset. He is a key piece.

Alonso’s vision vs Atlético’s ambition

A final call on Cucurella’s future will only come after direct talks between Alonso and the player. The manager’s initial idea is clear – keep him in London, integrate him fully into his system, and build around his versatility on the left.

There is, however, one variable that could tilt the entire operation. If Cucurella, now 27, decides that this is the moment to return to Spain, the dynamic changes. At this stage, there is no indication either way. No public push for a move, no firm declaration of loyalty. Just a player with options and a summer ahead of him.

Atlético wait in that space. Ready, but not in control.

For now, Chelsea hold the cards and Alonso has drawn his line. Any movement will likely be delayed, with Cucurella expected to play a significant role for Spain at the upcoming World Cup. A strong tournament could harden Chelsea’s resolve or, just as easily, sharpen the player’s desire for a new chapter back home.

One club sees him as the solution to a long-standing problem. Another sees him as central to a new era. The next few months will reveal which vision Cucurella chooses to follow.