Atlético Madrid's Summer Plans: Left-Back Search Intensifies
Atlético Madrid’s summer plans are already clear: they are going big again. For a third straight year, the club is braced for another heavy-spending window, and one position sits right at the top of the list – left-back.
Left flank, big problem
Diego Simeone has patched and improvised for long enough on that side. Matteo Ruggeri, signed from Atalanta last summer, has never truly settled into a reliable rhythm at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Good moments, yes. Consistency, no.
Behind him, the cupboard has been almost bare. Aside from academy prospect Julio Diaz, there has been no natural alternative. Simeone has repeatedly turned to David Hancko as an emergency option, dragging the defender away from his preferred role to plug a gap. It worked in spells, but it also underlined the problem: Atlético have been living without a specialist in a key position.
The club does not want to live that way next season. Hence the search. Hence the focus on a marquee solution rather than another stopgap.
Cucurella at the top of the list
Sporting director Mateu Alemany has already circled his preferred answer in red ink: Marc Cucurella.
At Atlético, there is no ambiguity. They see the Chelsea full-back as the ideal profile to walk straight into Simeone’s XI and own that left flank. Aggressive, intense, technically secure – Cucurella fits the identity the coach demands from his defenders, and he brings Premier League and international experience on top.
But wanting him is the easy part.
Chelsea will not roll over. Cucurella remains under contract, and the London club are under no pressure to sell. Any negotiation will be complicated, and likely expensive, for a player still very much in his prime at 27.
Xabi Alonso steps in
There is another layer now. Earlier this month, Chelsea confirmed Xabi Alonso as their new head coach. His arrival changes the dynamics around several players, Cucurella included.
According to MD, Alonso has already made his position known internally: he wants Cucurella to stay at Stamford Bridge. The new manager views his compatriot as an important piece for the project he is about to build, not a disposable asset.
That stance matters. Atlético are not just negotiating with a club; they are up against a coach who sees Cucurella as a key player, someone to help define his first season in English football management.
Player power and a summer wait
Nothing is final yet. Chelsea will only take a definitive decision once Alonso has sat down with Cucurella and held direct talks about his role and his future.
The hinge point is simple: what does the player want?
If Cucurella pushes for a return to Spain, the picture changes. Alonso’s position, firm for now, could soften in the face of a clear request from the defender. If he commits to Chelsea, Atlético will be forced to look elsewhere.
At this stage, there is no public indication either way. No declaration from Cucurella, no open agitation for a move, no clear pledge to stay. Just interest from Madrid, admiration from Alonso, and a decision still to be made.
One thing is already obvious: this saga will not move quickly. With Cucurella expected to play a significant role for Spain at the World Cup, all sides are prepared to wait. The tournament will come first, the market after.
By then, Atlético will know whether their long search for a left-back ends with Cucurella in red and white – or whether this position, yet again, forces them back to the drawing board.
