Marc Cucurella’s move from Chelsea to Real Madrid is the surprise transfer of the summer so far — a €60million deal that came together in a flash.Madrid saw off interest in the Spain international from their city rivals Atletico Madrid, while Barcelona had also been monitoring the left-back, who turns 28 next month.According to sources close to the deal — who, like all those consulted, spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to comment — fewer than 48 hours passed between the first phone call from Real Madrid and the signing of his contract with Jose Mourinho’s new team.It might also come as a surprise to some that a player who was enjoying one of the best periods of his Chelsea career just over a year ago should now be leaving.On 13 July 2025, Cucurella helped Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain to win the Club World Cup final, while his relationship with then-head coach Enzo Maresca appeared almost ideal.But there were three key factors behind this transfer, which is for €55million (£47.5m; $63.8m) and a further €5m in add-ons. Mourinho’s personal interest was one. Maresca’s dramatic departure from Stamford Bridge in January was another — as was Cucurella’s reaction to that exit.There were growing issues between Maresca and the Chelsea hierarchy in the first half of the 2025-26 season, partly caused by the admission that he had been approached by Manchester City. Despite Chelsea’s desire to see the campaign out with the Italian, he chose to leave. The news was announced on January 1, a decision that caught the dressing room by surprise.In an exclusive interview with The Athletic while on Spain duty in the March international break, Cucurella appeared to criticise the club over the situation.“The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us,” he said. “These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season.”Well-placed sources said those comments significantly weakened Cucurella’s standing at Chelsea, and although he and his family remained happy in London, he also began exploring alternative options.Sources at Chelsea remained relaxed about the situation. Cucurella was under contract until 2029, and club executives had reopened dialogue about a potential new deal. But Chelsea were made aware that a move back to Spain understandably appealed to the family, too, plus it provided an opportunity to get a longer contract elsewhere that would take him well into his 30s. His six-year contract at the Bernabeu was announced on Monday.Cucurella, playing for Spain in their World Cup warm-up friendly against Peru on June 8 (Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)Among Cucurella’s possible destinations were Barcelona, where he came through as a youth player. La Liga’s champions did not progress their interest beyond a monitoring stage, but Atletico Madrid’s was much stronger. Real Madrid also made contact with Cucurella’s camp, but talks remained in a state of uncertainty for weeks.Through sporting director Mateu Alemany, Atletico finally progressed to the point of making an opening offer to Chelsea and sending personal terms to Cucurella.In an interview with Spanish radio station Cope on Friday, Cucurella said he had told his agents: “Whatever you do, don’t drive me crazy.”Now concentrating on Spain once more, at their World Cup base camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he made further comments on his club future in an interview with Marca on Saturday.“I’m very happy where I am and so is my family,” Cucurella said. “Whatever has to happen will happen. I’m reading very little and paying little attention. My agents already know they don’t need to tell me anything.”Before making those remarks, new Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso had already held conversations with several players, including Cucurella.“I’ve spoken with him (Alonso) and he gave me a lot of confidence,” Cucurella added in that Marca interview. “The project looks very exciting.”But the reality of the situation was different. The decisive action had already taken place — via Real Madrid’s new manager, Mourinho.A mural by street artist TV Boy pictured outside the Bernabeu in May (Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)Although Mourinho was only officially announced as Madrid’s new manager on Thursday, he had already met with chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat on Tuesday to discuss several transfer targets.Sources with knowledge of those conversations said Madrid intended to make a significant impact in the market — and left-back had already been identified as a position to strengthen.Madrid could already count on Fran Garcia, Ferland Mendy and Alvaro Carreras — who was signed just last summer in a €50million deal with Benfica. However, internal doubts surrounding all three, including worries over Carreras’ disagreements with Alvaro Arbeloa, the man Mourinho replaced, had prompted Madrid to explore alternatives.Within Mourinho’s staff there was unanimous admiration for Cucurella, who was viewed as proven at the highest level and, crucially, available. Mourinho became one of the key figures pushing for the move.Once Madrid decided to act, sources close to the negotiations with Chelsea highlighted the speed at which the deal advanced. Agreements with both the player and club were reached rapidly.As had happened with Bernardo Silva, Madrid also moved ahead of city rivals Atletico at a moment of public tensions between the clubs over Madrid’s €150million bid for Julian Alvarez, which they said Atletico rejected.Madrid announced Cucurella’s signing on Monday morning local time, seven hours before Spain’s opening World Cup match with Cape Verde in Atlanta, Georgia.His arrival makes it almost inevitable that one of Garcia, Mendy and Carreras will leave. Madrid sources view the idea of having four players compete for the left-back spot as unsustainable over the course of the season.Meanwhile, sources close to Carreras underlined that he remains committed to succeeding at Madrid — but also made it clear that he did not join to be a backup option.Garcia’s contract runs until 2027, and those close to him are exploring options for the 26-year-old to continue his development elsewhere. In January, an agreement was close with Bournemouth over a loan move, but it eventually fell through because of Madrid’s stance.Mendy, 31, is recovering from thigh muscle surgery and hopes to return around the start of the new season in mid-August. Those close to the player point to his contract, which runs until 2028, and remain confident he can work his way back into the team.Cucurella arriving at Chelsea’s fixture against Tottenham on May 19 (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Madrid’s announcement for Cucurella makes him the first official signing of the new Mourinho era — although deals for Bernardo, Ibrahima Konate (both on free transfers) and Denzel Dumfries (via the €20million release clause in his Inter contract) are also expected to be confirmed.Sources familiar with the club’s planning say further signings are being considered, with Madrid also in the market for a centre-forward, another defender and a midfielder.This summer’s recruitment drive reflects Madrid’s desire to rebuild after a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy, and to address perceived leadership problems in the dressing room, a situation affected by the departure of several important senior players since 2023, including Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Nacho, Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal.Cucurella’s arrival is about more than simply signing one of the world’s best left-backs. Madrid also believe they are bringing in a player whose experience and personality can make him one of the team’s new natural leaders.Additional reporting: David Ornstein