Barcelona receive windfall as Cucurella completes Brighton move

Robin Bairner

• 31 Aug 2021 11:37 BST
• 6 min read

Marc Cucurella’s move from Getafe to Brighton will give Barcelona a significant and welcome financial windfall.

With the Catalan club having struggled to register new signings Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia for the opening match of the season due to financial restrictions placed upon them, it has been made perfectly clear just how desperate their financial situation is.

Former youth team player Cucurella, however, promises to provide Barcelona with some welcome relief.

Indeed, with Ronald Koeman's side reportedly chasing a move for Manchester United's Edinson Cavani, this injection is helpful.

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Cucurella's seven minutes of Barca fame

Brighton matched the €18 million release fee in Cucurella’s Getafe contract. When he moved to the Madrid-based side, though, it was in the deal that Barca would receive 10% of any future sale, meaning that they stand to claim €1.8m when now the move is completed.

Indeed, that was confirmed by Brighton on Transfer Deadline Day.

Head coach Graham Potter confirmed: "We have been keen to bring Marc to the club, and we are really pleased to finally welcome him here and are excited to begin working with him.

"He has had a fantastic education in the youth teams at Barcelona and he has gone onto make a real impression in La Liga and within the national set up. He is a versatile player, and he will add competition and options to the squad.”

The 23-year-old left-sided midfielder joined Getafe initially on loan in 2019 before making the move permanent a year later for around €10m.

In total, Barcelona are therefore set to receive €11.8m for the player when this additional bonus is added to his initial transfer price. That is a strong return for a player who only featured once for the club, turning out in a single Copa del Rey match against Real Murcia, and even then only for seven minutes.

Barca were aware of his potential, though. Indeed, in July 2019 they were forced to buy him back from Eibar, who had exercised a purchase clause in a previous loan deal. They did so for €4m before loaning him to Getafe, where he has ultimately remained.

Since departing Camp Nou, Cucurella’s stock has steadily risen. He has turned out for Spain at various age groups and was part of the team that came second to Brazil at the Olympics in Tokyo. Furthermore, he has also turned out for the full national team against Lithuania, albeit that was a team that was largely made up of prospects following Sergio Busquets testing positive for Covid-19.