Marc Cucurella addresses Barcelona links and Rodri pitch
Marc Cucurella has addressed the transfer talk that linked him with a move to Barcelona this summer, and revealed he tried to talk Rodri into joining him at Real Madrid before his international team-mate chose Barcelona instead. Discussing the Marc Cucurella Real Madrid transfer that took him to the Bernabéu, the left-back made clear that any contact with Barcelona never developed into a real approach.
He also gave fans a look behind the scenes of his relationship with Rodri, one of his closest team-mates on international duty with Spain. Cucurella said he pushed his fellow full international to pick Madrid over their rivals, only for Rodri to give him a non-committal answer.
He said something like, ‘We’ll see’
Rodri, of course, went on to sign for Barcelona. Cucurella took it in good humour when asked about it, wishing his team-mate well while making clear where his own loyalties now lie.
I’m happy for him, but I hope he doesn’t have too much success because that would mean the end of ours.
Primary transfer enquiry details and interview attribution
According to Goal.com, Cucurella confirmed his agent had received initial calls from parties connected to Barcelona, but he was clear that this never turned into a genuine approach or a formal deal. There was no bid, no negotiation and no offer on the table, just contact that went nowhere.
That qualification matters. Reports linking Cucurella with a Barcelona switch had circulated for weeks, but his own account, as relayed by Goal.com, closes that particular chapter. The defender was already settled at the Bernabéu by the time those calls came in, and he framed the episode as background noise rather than anything close to a Marc Cucurella Real Madrid transfer being under threat.
Squad standing under Jose Mourinho and left-back dynamics
Cucurella’s own move to Real Madrid was completed for an initial €55 million (£47m), with a further €5 million (£4m) available in add-ons. It sits alongside a run of high-profile Bernabéu transfers that have reshaped the squad in recent windows.
Since arriving, the left-back has established himself as Jose Mourinho’s first choice in that position, ahead of Alvaro Carreras. That is no small thing given the money and reputation attached to Carreras, but Cucurella’s form and experience have kept him in the starting eleven through the opening weeks of the season.
His comments this week won’t change that pecking order. If anything, closing down the Barcelona speculation removes a distraction just as Mourinho settles on his preferred back line for the games ahead.
Upcoming Real Madrid fixture timeline and El Clásico context
Real Madrid’s next assignment brings a derby test, and our preview of Jose Mourinho’s tactical setup options against Atletico looks at how he might line up his defence, Cucurella included.
Further down the calendar sits a Clásico against Barcelona, the club Rodri now calls home. Cucurella’s words this week add a personal edge to that fixture, even if he was at pains to play down any lingering tension over the transfer talk. For the full reported interview details, Goal.com carries Cucurella’s comments in full.
For now, his focus stays on Madrid. He’s made his position clear, on the pitch and off it.
