Barcelona miss out as Real Madrid land former La Masia defender | OneFootball

In addition to getting a new center-forward, strengthening their defense was expected to be a key priority for FC Barcelona in the upcoming summer transfer window. For the latter, the Catalans have been linked with several fullbacks, especially as they still have not arrived at an agreement with Al-Hilal for Joao Cancelo, and the future of Alejandro Balde is not very certain.

In a recent update about the Spanish fullback, it was revealed that the Blaugrana club is not actively looking to offload him, as he is a part of Hansi Flick’s plans, but would let him go if he comes up with an offer.

In the meantime, they continue to be linked with some interesting names, and one such name that appeared prominently on their radar was the Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.

However, he is no longer an option for Barcelona, as Mundo Deportivo reports that he has already signed with Real Madrid. Only a few days ago, he was linked strong with the Catalan side and Atletico Madrid, with the latter reportedly closer to landing him. However, the Merengues have moved very quickly, and completed Jose Mourinho’s preferred transfer only in a matter of days.

The reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has also verified this news, and reported that Real Madrid would pay €55 million fixed and another €5 million in variables for the Spanish fullback, who is currently in North America for the World Cup, to Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Barcelona would have to look at some other options, especially if they are unable to land Cancelo or Balde ends up leaving. There is no doubt that Marc Cucurella, who had been trained at La Masia, would have been quite a good addition to Hansi Flick’s squad, but there might be other, equally exciting options also available in the market which the Blaugranes can explore going forward.