Jules Kounde is now at Barcelona. (imago Images)
According to Marca (h/t Football.london), Chelsea have been handed a major blow in their efforts to land French international Jules Kounde this summer.
The Sevilla star is one of the best young defenders in world football and has turned heads with his performances in Andalusia. He was part of the Sevilla side that won the Europa League in 2020 and the French squad for this summer’s Euros.
The 22-year-old has a £68m release clause that Chelsea may look to meet. However, the club is yet to make a bid for the French ace’s signature.
With just weeks left in the summer window, Romelu Lukaku remains Chelsea’s lone major signing. Adding Kounde would bring much-needed dynamism to what is already a Chelsea squad with massive potential.
According to the report, the Blues may have to wait until next year to attain that. Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui has admitted that there is little to indicate the player will be sold this summer.
“I don’t have the feeling that this is his last game. There is nothing that tells me that he will not continue with us.”
The player, for his part, is keen on a new challenge but is not publicly angling for a move away. Kounde in fact played the full 90 minutes of Sevilla’s 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano last weekend.
Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi revealed recently that while there is interest in the player, an official bid is yet to be made.
As things stand, Thomas Tuchel can choose from Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Kurt Zouma at centre-back. The likes of Azpilicueta and Silva are not getting older while Zouma’s future at the club is unclear.
Bringing in Kounde would give us an elite quality defender who can police the backline for the better part of the decade. It remains to be seen if the Blues have it in them to pull off a second big transfer this summer.
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