REAL MADRID have signed defender Marc Cucurella from Chelsea for £52 million, bringing to an end a four-year stint at Stamford Bridge for the Spain international.

A deal was reached with the LaLiga side on Sunday for a 27-year-old whose future in west London had been in doubt ever since he publicly criticised the running of the club in March.

He has agreed a deal that will keep him at the Bernabeu until 2032.

Cucurella has been one of the more successful signings of the BlueCo ownership era since joining from Brighton for £62m in 2022, one of the first buys following the takeover of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

After a difficult start, he became key to the side that finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League under Enzo Maresca a year ago, as well as winning the Conference League and Club World Cup.

He was openly critical of the decision to part with Maresca in January, claiming it “destabilised” the team during the second half of the season. He also criticised the club’s recruitment plans and claimed after the thrashing by Paris St Germain in March that the squad lacked experience.