Marc Cucurella 'wants to leave Chelsea in January'

Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella is reportedly prepared to leave the club in January in a bid to gain regular playing time.

Cucurella has failed to find his best form since joining Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £62m transfer last summer.

The 25-year-old featured in 33 competitive games last term, but his performances drew criticism from some quarters.

Since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, Cucrella has seemingly fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill and Ian Maatsen.

As a result, Cucrella is yet to feature in the Premier League this season, while his only appearance of the campaign took place in the 2-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup last month.

© Reuters

Having fallen out of favour, Cucurella was the subject of a loan bid from Manchester United in the final days of the summer transfer window.

As it proved, his appearance in the EFL Cup, which cup-tied the defender, played a part in Man United opting to give up their pursuit and turning their attention to securing the loan signing of Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham Hotspur.

While a summer departure failed to materialise, the versatile defender still faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.

According to The Sun, Cucurella is ready to leave the club in the January transfer window unless he starts receiving regular game time.

© Reuters

Cucurella is expected to start Wednesday's home encounter against his former side Brighton in the third round of the EFL Cup.

However, he wants to be playing more in the Premier League, and he is ready to seek a move elsewhere if he is not afforded more first-team action.

The report claims that Cucurella is still uncertain how much game time that he will receive this season despite holding talks with Pochettino over his future.

While he is said to be happy in London, the Chelsea defender would consider a return to Spain if it led to regular game time.