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Revealed: Marc Cucurella was 'very close' to signing for Man United
In-form Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella was on the verge of joining Man United in the summer window, sources have told Football Insider.
A well-placed source has told Football Insider that the two clubs were “very close” to agreeing a deal which would have seen the 25-year-old head to Old Trafford on a season-long loan.
But the agreement and talks collapsed at the eleventh hour, meaning Man United were forced to turn their attention to a temporary move for Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon.
Chelsea were open to letting Cucurella depart as he had seemingly fallen out of favour under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
But as revealed by Football Insider on Monday (20 November), the full-back now features prominently in Pochettino’s plans after turning his Stamford Bridge career around.
It is believed he has won the Argentine around with his early-season performances and has now earned a major role in the Chelsea defence.
Cucurella has made nine appearances across all competitions this season, filling in on both sides of the defence amid injuries to first-choice duo Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
He only joined Chelsea from Brighton last summer (2022) for a reported fee of more than £60million, but flattered to deceive in a topsy-turvy first campaign with the Londoners.
The defender made 33 appearances under three different permanent managers in the 2022-23 season as the Blues finished 12th in the table.
He is under contract at Stamford Bridge until June 2028 and earns a reported wage of £175,000-a-week.
Reguilon has made seven appearances across all competitions this season amid injuries to Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw.
In other news, Man United in race to sign Ligue 1 sensation.