Chelsea eye Real Madrid's Carreras to replace Cucurella, leaving United to rue early exit

Chelsea are weighing up a move for Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras this summer, according to Spanish outlet AS, with the 23-year-old emerging as a prime target to fill the void left by Marc Cucurella’s departure to the Spanish capital.

Cucurella’s switch to Madrid was confirmed this week, with the club announcing the Spaniard has signed a six-year contract running until 2032. Chelsea received a fee of £51.7 million — a £47.4m fixed payment plus £4.3m in add-ons — bringing the left-back’s time at Stamford Bridge to an end.

With that gap now open in their squad, Chelsea have turned their attention to Carreras, who AS reports has been added to their shortlist of summer targets. Madrid are said to be open to selling the defender, while Carreras himself is yet to make a decision on his future heading into next season.

The story carries a particular sting for Manchester United, who signed Carreras as a 17-year-old in 2020 and sold him to Benfica in 2024 without him making a single competitive appearance for the first team. He had loan spells at Preston North End, Granada, and Benfica before that move was made permanent. He went on to win United’s Under-23 player of the year award in 2022/23, and has since developed into a senior option at one of European football’s biggest clubs.

Incoming Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is understood to be a strong admirer of Carreras, and his influence is said to be a key factor driving the reported interest. Alonso’s arrival at Stamford Bridge is expected to shape Chelsea’s transfer strategy significantly this window.

Carreras is currently on his summer break after missing out on a place in Spain’s squad for the World Cup in North America. Spain opened their tournament campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, a match in which Cucurella — his prospective new club teammate — played the full 90 minutes.

Madrid, meanwhile, are building aggressively under newly appointed manager Jose Mourinho, with Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, and Bernardo Silva all reported targets as the club looks to reshape its squad ahead of next season.