A few days ago, Chelsea were somewhat randomly linked with former Barcelona prospect Marc Cucurella, who had apparently grown disillusioned with not getting the opportunities he might have imagined young players at Barcelona would be afforded. But La Masia isn’t what it used to be. It certainly ain’t no Cobham these days!
Part of the disillusionment has come from Barcelona’s wheeling and dealing of the left back, using him as a cash generation vehicle across multiple loans, selling him, re-buying him, then re-loaning him for increasingly higher amounts. The latest of those moves saw him land at Getafe at the start of the season, alongside a buy-option and future sell-on percentage.
And according to Spanish newspaper Marca, that €6m buy-option has now been activated. While such moves would normally mean some stability for a player, it’s quite likely just a precursor for Cucurella’s next move. His new contract is said to have a €25m buyout, 40 per cent of which (€10m) would go to Barcelona. Continue reading