Chelsea believe they can land the services of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde this summer. The Frenchman has already agreed on personal terms with the Blues, and the west London club hopes a deal can be agreed with Sevilla soon.
Chelsea are not fooling around this summer. With the 2022/23 season just around the corner, the Blues are going gung-ho to get the players they need for a successful season. The Stamford Bridge side have lost several players and might lose more, but they want to fill the holes left behind as quickly as possible.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have already left the club, with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta subject of exit rumours. Thomas Tuchel does not want to be asleep at the wheel when the season commences, and the German tactician insists on reinforcements.
Todd Boehly leads the charge for reinforcements. He has been leading the negotiations with the clubs. The west London club have already signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli but are not resting on their oars as they pursue another striker and a defender. The Blues are leading the race for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
Chelsea improve their offer for Kounde
The chase for Jules Kounde might be closer than expected, with Chelsea leading the pack interested in signing the Sevilla defender. The Blues are confident that Jules Kounde would soon be a Chelsea player as they hope an improved bid of £55 million on Wednesday should convince Sevilla to part with the player.
Sevilla prefer the Chelsea bid over that of Barcelona. While Chelsea have offered straight cash, Barcelona offered players such as Memphis Depay in exchange. The current situation has given Chelsea plenty of confidence that soon, Kounde would be a blue.
Following the interest in Presnel Kimpembe and the blocked move by Manchester City for Nathan Ake, Chelsea stepped up their game in the quest for Kounde. The 23-year-old has said farewell to Sevilla fans as he left the club’s training ground on Wednesday.
Kounde useful to Chelsea
Chelsea have been pursuing Jules Kounde for a while now, and the chase is almost over. The Blues were on his tail last summer but failed to see it through. Thomas Tuchel has continued his quest to rebuild his defence and returned this season for the Sevilla defender.
Should the deal sail through, Kounde would be Chelsea’s third signing this summer.
Chelsea made an initial bid worth around £46 million plus add-ons last week. The Blues have now returned with an improved offer.
Kounde is adept at several positions and can cover at full-back. If Chelsea manage to pull this off, it will help Barcelona step up talks to sign Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta. The Blues insist on £7 million and another full-back before Azpilicueta can leave Stamford Bridge.
Reece James has already nailed down the right-back position, but should Azpilicueta leave, Tuchel would be short on options.
