Cucurella chaos, Ronaldo reprimand – Wednesday’s transfer round up

FT Desk

• 3 Aug 2022 23:00 BST
• 4 min read

It was another eventful day in the transfer market as Brighton sensationally denied reports that they had sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea.

Elsewhere, Erik ten Hag publicly criticised Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar left Man Utd’s Sunday friendly before full-time.

Brighton deny Cucurella sale

Brighton have issued an emphatic denial of reports that a deal is already in place that will take Marc Cucurella to Chelsea.

Cucurella, 24, has seen rumours over his future escalate over the last few days, with links to both Manchester City and the Blues.

Chelsea had appeared to have won the battle for his signature, clinching a transfer that would net Brighton €60 million just a year after signing him from Getafe.

Ten Hag slams Ronaldo

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that it is “unacceptable” that Cristiano Ronaldo departed Sunday’s pre-season friendly with Rayo Vallecano before the final whistle.

Ronaldo played the first half of the match and experienced a difficult 45 minutes before being replaced.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag was angry to see his star player leave Old Trafford early as his side drew 1-1 with the Spaniards.

De Laurentiis: I won’t sign Africans

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said that he will not buy African players anymore because of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Serie A side have just sold Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea for €40 million in one of the biggest done deals of the summer, but the veteran president has sparked controversy over his comments regarding African players on the whole.

Chelsea bid for Inter wonderkid

Chelsea’s summer of spending shows no signs of slowing down as after splashing the cash on Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Carney Chukwuemeka, the Blues are back in the market for another huge talent.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have put in a bid for Inter Milan and Italy Under-19 wonderkid midfielder Cesare Casadei.

Real Madrid won’t sign a new striker

It has been a quiet summer transfer window for Real Madrid, with few waves being made either in incoming or outgoing deals.

And that is unlikely to change in the coming weeks, particularly in the reigning Spanish and European champion's forward line.