Chelsea could lose one of Enzo Maresca's key men with Atletico Madrid pushing for signing: report

Chelsea are in danger of losing one of Enzo Marseca's key men with Atletico Madrid pushing to complete his signing.

Maresca has endured a tough few weeks, with Chelsea winning just once since beating Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League.

They have found themselves eight points of Premier League leaders Arsenal and 13th in the Champions League, albeit in a strong position to at least advance to the knockout play-offs.

Chelsea brace themselves for a bid for one of Maresca's key men

With all Chelsea's spending, Maresca has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, but he has established a core group of players who he heavily relies on when they are fit.

Within that is several names including left back Marc Cucurella. He has played 77 games in just under a season and a half for the Argentinian, and is tactically very important to the way Chelsea have set up.

Now, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Cucurella may be a target for Atletico Madrid as they look to regain ground on Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants are debating whether to try for a superstar signing in the shape of Cucurella, or take a more pragmatic approach.

They believe that Cucurella's intensity, defensive reliability, and ability to join the attack perfectly fit Diego Simeone's tactical philosophy.

However, his signing is described as 'virtually impossible,' as Chelsea have no desire to part ways, and the transfer fee would likely be far beyond Atletico's reach.

Cucurella has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League in recent seasons. He was key part of Spain's Euro 2024 winning squad, and was also heavily involved as Chelsea won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup last season.

Cucurella is currently ranked at no.9 in FourFourTwo's list of the best left-backs in the world right now.

In FourFourTwo's eyes, this would not be a good move for Cucurella, with Chelsea looking like they will be competing at the top of the Premier League and deep into Europe for some time, it would be a backwards step in his career.

Cucurella is valued at €50 million by Transfermarkt. Chelsea are next in action in the Carabao Cup against Cardiff.