Chelsea are closing in on an agreement with Rayo Vallecano over the transfer of Pep Chavarría, transfer market expert David Ornstein writes. The 28-year-old Spaniard is set to replace compatriot Marc Cucurella, who now plays for Real Madrid.
Chavarría is a real late bloomer. The left-back was still playing in Spain's fourth tier in 2020 before joining Real Zaragoza on a free transfer.
Two years at that historic club earned him a move to Rayo for less than two million euros, and that is where his career took off. He has now made 125 appearances, scoring 2 goals and providing 8 assists, for the Madrid side.
His contract runs until mid-2030 and includes a release clause of fifty million euros, but according to transfer journalist Nicolò Schira the clubs are closing in on an agreement worth 25 million euros plus 5 million in bonuses.
Thanks in part to Chavarría, Rayo made a name for themselves in Europe last season. The side from the working-class district of Vallecas fought their way to the Conference League final, where Crystal Palace proved too strong and won 1-0.
Chelsea badly need a new left-back, with Jorrel Hato now the only natural option there after Cucurella's departure. That opened the door for youth player Landon Emenalo, 18, to get his chance in pre-season.
Earlier this summer, Chelsea had already strengthened their squad with Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Marco Palestra (Atalanta), Geovany Quenda (Sporting Portugal), Valentín Barco, Emmanuel Emegha (both RC Strasbourg), Denner (Corinthians), Danny Welbeck (Brighton), Dastan Satpaev (Kairat Almaty) and Jordan Henderson (free transfer).
If Chavarría completes the move, Chelsea's total transfer spending this summer will rise above 400 million euros. The departures of Andrey Santos (Manchester United), Cucurella (Real Madrid) and Tyrique George (Everton) brought in approximately 132 million euros in transfer income between them.