It is a measure of Jorrel Hato’s emergence at Chelsea that he was a significant factor in the club’s decision to sell Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.Having a replacement in mind is always an important part of a club’s thinking whenever there is the possibility of a key figure leaving. Sources, speaking under the condition of anonymity to The Athletic to protect relationships, like all of those spoken to for this article, say that Hato’s form in 2026 is one of the reasons why Chelsea did not include Cucurella on the definitely ‘not for sale’ list for this window.There were other elements involved of course. Sources say Chelsea regard the €60million (£51.7m; $69.4m) fee agreed with Real Madrid, including €5m in add-ons, as a good sum for a left back who is turning 28 next month and was keen to move back to Spain.Coming to an agreement now means the sale can be put on the financial accounts for the year ending June 30, 2026, which is no bad thing for the books. However, sources say it had nothing to do with that. It was done promptly so that Cucurella has no distractions while representing Spain, who play their first game against Cape Verde on Monday, at the World Cup. Real Madrid have also moved to secure the deal quickly.Cucurella has been a mainstay of the Chelsea team on the left side of their defence/attack for over two years. It took him a while to establish himself in the side after joining from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022.Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign Cucurella (George Wood/Getty Images)Hato also had to be patient following his switch from Ajax last summer for a fee in excess of €40million. The Netherlands international was used sparingly by head coach Enzo Maresca in the first half of the 2025-26 season. He made just two Premier League starts under the Italian and only nine appearances overall. When Maresca left his position at Chelsea on January 1, Hato had played just 167 minutes in England’s top division.