Marc Cucurella is gone, and Chelsea are left with a lump of cash and the need to replace the Spain defender in the coming weeks. Well, the World Cup has presented them with the perfect signing.
Cucurella’s exit came out of the blue, even coming as a bit of a surprise to his partner, Claudia Rodriguez. Real Madrid and Chelsea confirmed the £52m deal, which works out as a £17.5m book profit for Chelsea.
RATE 1-10: Is Marc Cucurella’s exit good business by Chelsea?
Now, Chelsea are without a left-back. Jorrel Hato has been brilliant in the last few months, but the Dutch ace has performed better in the middle of the defence than he has at left-back while with Chelsea.
Chelsea absolutely have to replace Cucurella, and there have already been some suggestions. Alejandro Grimaldo is the obvious one, given he starred at Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso. So is Maxi Araujo.
Maxi Araujo shines for Uruguay despite disappointing draw
In the immediate aftermath of the emerging reports that Cucurella was going to Real Madrid, Simon Phillips reported that Sporting Lisbon’s Araujo was a target for Chelsea going into the summer.
SOCCER: JUN 15 FIFA World Cup 26 Group H - Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay
Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Araujo has been linked with a £35m move to Chelsea over the last couple of months but for now, he is at the World Cup with Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay. Overnight, Uruguay faced Saudi Arabia in their first game.
Uruguay have been poor of late under Bielsa, and Saudi Arabia looked as if they were going to take advantage, only for Araujo to get his name on the scoresheet. It was a superb finish into the far corner.
Uruguay could only manage a stuttering 1-1 draw, but Araujo was easily one of his nation’s best players. If Chelsea scouts were watching, they will have been thinking he is perfect for Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Uruguay are back level in Miami 🇺🇾
Maximiliano Araujo blasts home the equaliser from close range and it's all square… pic.twitter.com/8SdKuIyIdH
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 15, 2026
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Maxi Araujo’s stats as Uruguay fail to win first World Cup game
Federico Valverde might have got the man of the match award for his performance in midfield, but it was Araujo that earned FotMob’s best rating, with 8.1. He was a threat, boasting 0.62 XG+XA come full-time.
Araujo created more chances than any of his teammates with five, and of course, got the all-important equaliser in the second half. He enjoyed 38 touches and completed 18 of his 21 passes, at a rate of 86%.
His defensive qualities might be some way below Cucurella. But if Alonso plans on using a 3-4-2-1 system like he did at Leverkusen, Araujo would be perfect for the left wing-back role going into the 26-27 season.
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