A look at the players Chelsea have been linked with as they search for a replacement for Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea didn’t have any say in the matter when Real Madrid swooped in to take Marc Cucurella away from them – a release clause was activated, and the Spaniard was gone in the blink of an eye. It’s a move which leaves the Blues with both a headache and £52m burning a hole in their pocket.
Alejandro Grimaldo, Lewis Hall & Antonee Robinsonplaceholder image
Alejandro Grimaldo, Lewis Hall & Antonee Robinson | Getty Images
The club have Jorrel Hato on the books but the young Dutchman struggled to find consistent form, and while Levi Colwill can fill in at left-back he’s generally at his best when playing through the middle. That means that Chelsea will almost certainly need to find a new left-back – and we’ve looked at the shortlist they’ve put together, according to the rumours and reports already swirling around Stamford Bridge.
Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen
Grimaldo has scored 30 goals for Bayer Leverkusen since signing from Benfica.placeholder image
Grimaldo has scored 30 goals for Bayer Leverkusen since signing from Benfica. | Getty Images
Grimaldo was a hugely important part of new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso’s invincible Bayer Leverkusen team of the 2023/24 season – and was just as impressive over the course of the last year, when he scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists in the Bundesliga.
As that statline suggests, Grimaldo is at least as much of a winger as he is a wing-back, and he would represent an attacking and aggressive signing – and one that Alonso knows very well. TEAMtalk are among a handful of gossip outlets to suggest that the head coach has been pushing Grimaldo’s case. The 30-year-old is currently with Spain’s squad at the World Cup, which could slow any negotiations down.
The 3AM Verdict: Chelsea’stransfer policy is based around signing younger players, and Grimaldo would be the oldest player that Chelsea have signed since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – but if Alonso really has been given greater influence over transfers, that could change. Grimaldo also has just one year left on his contract at Leverkusen, which would make a deal both cheaper and easier to get done. The rumours are plausible.
Lewis Hall – Newcastle United
Hall made 12 senior appearances for Chelsea before joining Newcastle.placeholder image
Hall made 12 senior appearances for Chelsea before joining Newcastle. | Getty Images
Another name doing the gossip column rounds, Hall came up through the Chelsea academy ranks before joining Newcastle in a deal worth up to £35m. Now, it’s suggested, his former employers could make a bid to bring him back.
Sports Boom are among the rumourmongers who reckon that Chelsea are keen on Hall, who’s also of interest to Manchester United. Newcastle, for their part, will only part with one of their best players for a very significant sum, and even then would think twice, but Hall ticks Chelsea’s boxes – young, dynamic, with plenty of room to grow and develop resale value.
The 3AM Verdict: We suspect the rumours linking Chelsea with Hall are smoke without fire for now, and more reliable media outlets suggest that Newcastle intend to keep hold of the 21-year-old. The scale of the outlay involved doesn’t help to add a veneer of plausibility to the story, either. Chelsea may well want Hall, but that doesn’t mean they’re all that likely to get their wish.
Antonee Robinson – Fulham
Robinson is nicknamed 'Jedi' due to his childhood love of Star Wars.placeholder image
Robinson is nicknamed 'Jedi' due to his childhood love of Star Wars. | Getty Images
The same string of stories connecting Chelsea with Hall also mentioned Robinson, the 28-year-old Fulham full-back who is currently playing for the United States in the 2026 World Cup.
His last season was somewhat curtailed by injury he remains among the most reliable overlapping full-backs in the Premier League and racked up 10 assists in the 2024/25 campaign. Robinson has two years left on his contract, suggesting that we may be entering a period in which Fulham might consider a sale for a fair price.
The 3AM Verdict: Robinson’s name feels like it’s being tacked on to stories about Hall and others, and he doesn’t make much sense as a target – if Chelsea are willing to go for an older target, then a player like Grimaldo, who would likely be cheaper and who has history with Alonso, makes more sense. Robinson is also coming off something of a down year in terms of both fitness and form.
Andrea Cambiaso – Juventus
Cambiaso has 19 caps for the Italian national sideplaceholder image
Cambiaso has 19 caps for the Italian national side | Getty Images
Italy international Cambiaso is a versatile player who can operate as a full-back or as a winger on either side and has long been admired by several Premier League sides, not least Manchester City and Liverpool – which means there could be competition if Chelsea do make a move for the Juventus star.
The good news is that Cambiaso is almost certainly available. Their failure to reach the 2026/27 Champions League means that Juventus are expected to sanction the sale of Cambiaso to cover the financial shortfall, and Italian outlet Gazetta dello Sport report that Chelsea are hoping to engineer a part-exchange deal involving Nicolas Jackson.
The 3AM Verdict: A perfectly plausible story, even if there is some risk of a bidding war. Cambiaso is almost certainly available, the price would be substantial but not outrageous, and he’s a proven performer at the top level. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ended up at Stamford Bridge, although whether or not a deal involves Jackson is another matter entirely.
Honest Ahanor – Atalanta
Ahanor (left) moved to Atalanta from Genoa for just €4m last summer.placeholder image
Ahanor (left) moved to Atalanta from Genoa for just €4m last summer. | Getty Images
Another Serie A player who may be on Chelsea’s radar, Ahanor is only 21 but already has two caps for Italy and is starting to draw plenty of interest from elite sides – including the Blues, according to reports from a handful of outlets including Caught Offside.
Able to play either as a centre-back or a left-back, a bid for Ahanor would represent a continuation of the club’s youth-first transfer philosophy but wouldn’t come cheap. Atalanta seldom sell their brightest prospects for below market value, and would apparently want at least £50m – as much as Chelsea earned from the sale of Cucurella.
The 3AM Verdict: We doubt that a deal for Ahanor is a serious possibility. Atalanta don’t usually sell players they don’t want to, and the sources for this story aren’t very strong at all. If Chelsea wanted to break the bank, they’d be far more likely to take a tilt at Hall first.
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