Chelsea are facing the prospect of losing two senior players this summer after Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella informed the club they want to leave in the coming months. Fernandez, the 25-year-old Argentina international, is already being watched by Real Madrid, while Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are exploring whether to make a move for Cucurella.
The development has turned Chelsea player transfer news into something more immediate than a summer rumour mill item. Over the last couple of weeks, football.london learned both players told Chelsea of their intentions, and the timing matters because interest is already forming in Spain, where both men are viewed as hot properties in the market.
Fernandez is the sharper issue. Chelsea paid £107m for him three-and-a-half years ago and are now demanding £120million for a player who wishes to depart this summer. That is the line the club appears prepared to hold, even as Real Madrid look on and Jose Mourinho is supposedly keen. Chelsea should not budge on the valuation if they want to protect the fee on one of the most expensive signings in their history.
Cucurella’s position is different but no less awkward. He criticised the club in March during the international break, and the feeling around his future has not improved. He is keen on returning to Spain, where Atletico and Barcelona are checking whether an official approach makes sense. Jorrel Hato’s form in 2026 has eased Chelsea’s position at left-back, which makes this the moment the club can consider a sale without leaving the squad exposed.
The friction is obvious: Chelsea may be ready to move on from both men, but only one of them carries a price tag that could test the market. Football London’s line that Chelsea should allow Fernandez and Cucurella to leave may prove to be the practical answer, yet Fernandez’s valuation leaves the real question hanging over the window — which club, if any, will actually meet £120million for a player who wants out?
