Real Madrid have already made the signing of Marc Cucurella official. The deal was done at a rapid face, faster than anybody could have anticipated. It is hard to imagine that even a couple of days back, it had looked like the Spaniard would either join FC Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, or potentially stay on at Chelsea after having held talks with Xabi Alonso.
That is the kind of efficiency Chelsea fans would like to see the club show this summer. And in an interesting turn of events, it looks like they are now interested in one of Real Madrid’s left-backs.
Cucurella’s departure means that Chelsea need to bring in someone to replace him. Some have pointed towards Jorrel Hato’s growth, but at the very least, he needs some competition there.
Most Chelsea fans seem to keen to see the club bring back Lewis Hall. But both Simon Phillips and Alex Goldberg have confirmed that there is interest in Real Madrid left-back, Alvaro Carreras.
🇪🇸 Can confirm that Chelsea do have interest in Real Madrid LB, Álvaro Carreras. Obviously worked with Xabi Alonso and seemingly had a good relationship. All I can say for certain is there is interest.
Credit to @siphillipssport for reporting the interest on his page earlier.
— Alex Goldberg (@GoldbergCFC) June 15, 2026
Carreras was a favourite of Alonso at Real Madrid
Carreras had been part of the Real Madrid youth ranks before joining Manchester United. He did not make the grade there either.
Ultimately, Benfica signed him for a transfer fee of around €6 million. That has to go down as one of the best deals in the club’s history.
A year later, Real Madrid signed Carreras from Benfica for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of €50 million. Alonso was the coach at the time.
Carreras did make regular starts for Real Madrid while Alonso was the club’s manager as well. But he lost his spot in the team in the second half of the season.
Would Carreras be the signing Chelsea need?
With Jose Mourinho arriving at Real Madrid and signing Cucurella immediately, it would be safe to say that Carreras is not being viewed as a starter.
It was just a year ago that Real Madrid signed him. So, if they want to sign him, it is very possible that they might have to pay a similar figure, around €50 million, to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
One advantage that Carreras has is that Alonso knows him well. So, the Spaniard will have an idea of how to use him, if he does want him at Chelsea.
It has been mentioned time and again that Alonso is set to be backed by the club. If he is convinced Carreras is the right fit, a move should be explored. Personally, I still feel Hall would be the best signing possible.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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