The Premier League returns on Saturday with Chelsea traveling north to face Burnley at Turf Moor.
Enzo Maresca’s side sit third in the the top flight table after a resounding 3-0 win against Wolves last time out, and the Italian will hope to see his side continue their recent good run of form against the Clarets.
The Blues will soon be boosted by the return of talisman Cole Palmer, who has missed 11 matches in a row but has been pictured training out on the grass and could return for Chelsea’s Champions League match against Barcelona later this month.
Ahead of their trip to Turf Moor, it has emerged that one of Chelsea’s most important players is attracting significant interest from a Spanish side.
As reported by Spanish outlet Fichajes, La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid have identified Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella as one of their top transfer targets.
The report claims that the Spain international is hugely admired by Atletico, with the La Liga side holding the view that the player could fit perfectly into Diego Simeone’s system.
Cucurella has established himself as one of the best left-backs in Europe (Photo: PA Images/Alamy)
Cucurella, 27, joined the Blues from Brighton and Hove Albion back in 2022 but initially made a slow start to life in SW6.
Over the past two seasons he has been in fine form, though, quickly establishing himself as one of the Blues’ most important players.
In total he has now made 27 appearances for the West London side across all competitions, including 16 appearances so far this term.
The report suggests that the recent influx of investment from Apollo Sports Capital – who have become Atletico’s majority stakeholders – could pave the way for major investment in the playing squad, and Cucurella is likely to be among those on their shortlist.
The Spaniard is under contract at Stamford Bridge until the end of the 2027/28 season, but it remains to be seen whether or not Atletico can lure him back to Madrid.