Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella has revealed his desire to play for boyhood club Barcelona in the future.
Speaking to DAZN, as relayed by Transfer Market Web, Brighton & Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella has claimed that he dreams of returning to former club Barcelona before he calls time on his career.
Cucurella joined Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy from the youth setup of local rivals Espanyol in 2012. The left-back rose through the ranks at the Catalan club and broke into their B team in 2016, and made his senior debut in October 2017 in a Copa del Rey clash against Real Murcia.
However, that was his only appearance for the first team, as Cucurella was shipped out on loan to Eibar and Getafe, with the 23-year-old joining the latter permanently in 2019. After close to 90 appearances for the club in two seasons, the former La Masia prospect moved to Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer earlier this year.
Since arriving in England, the Spaniard has made a solid impression, becoming a regular in Graham Potter’s side, featuring in 11 matches across all competitions, producing a solitary assist in the process. While he signed a five-year contract with the Seagulls, it seems like Cucurella’s long-term plans include a potential return to Barcelona in the future.
Indeed, the 23-year-old Spanish international has revealed that he dreams of returning to Barcelona and playing at Camp Nou, something he never got to do during his time with the Blaugrana.
“All in all, I was in Barcelona for a long time, and I could call that my house. And that goes for my family and my partner, all of them from Barcelona. Every time I hit home back, besides having an espinita, I think about my debut into their first team, and about the fact I didn’t ever get the chance to get on the Camp Nou pitch as a Barça player, and that’s something that, sooner or later, across my career to come, I definitely want to get to do,” he said.
Cucurella is not the only ex-Barcelona prospect that wants a return to Camp Nou, with fellow left-back Alejandro Grimaldo also revealing his desires to rejoin the Blaugrana. With Jordi Alba not getting any younger, the Catalans will need a new left-back in the near future. Whether they decide to consider re-signing Cucurella or Grimaldo or look at someone else will be interesting to see.
