'Barcelona return would be very nice' - Chelsea's Cucurella makes surprise transfer admission

• Cucurella started career at Barca
• Awarded 'Best Catalan player' on Tuesday
• Hinted at possible return in speech

WHAT HAPPENED? Cucurella said he would be open to retracing his steps after being awarded the 'Best Catalan player' award by the Catalan Football Federation on Tuesday. The Chelsea full-back admitted that his path to winning the award had not been easy, before revealing that he would one-day "value" the opportunity of coming back to Barcelona.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I didn’t have the chance and I’ve always had a thorn in my side. In the end, if I had the chance in the future [to return to Barca] I would value it, but it would be very nice,” Cucurella told Cat Radio. “It has not been easy to get here, I have had to overcome many obstacles. The most important thing is that I have never given up, I have always kept working and this year I got the prize I was looking for."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Cucurella is a product of Barca's prestigious La Masia academy, responsible most recently for producing the likes of Gavi, Ansu Fati, and Alejandro Balde. The full-back only joined Chelsea from Brighton in the summer and has picked up two assists in 13 Premier League matches since then. However, with the likes of Jordi Alba (33) and Marcos Alonso (31) ageing, 24-year-old Cucurella could find himself back in the Catalan capital in the near future.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Cucurella became the 15th Spanish player to play for Chelsea in the Premier League. Only Liverpool (21) and Manchester City (16) have had more Spanish players in the competition.

WHAT NEXT FOR CUCURELLA? Despite hinting at a potential Barca move, Cucurella will need to focus all his attention on matters with Chelsea when club football returns. Graham Potter's side sit eighth in the Premier League, and will resume their top-four charge against Bournemouth on December 27.