CHELSEA READY OFFER TO SIGN SEVILLA DEFENDER JULES KOUNDE

According to Marco Conterio, Chelsea are preparing an official bid worth €60 million for Jules Kounde after being pushed back in the pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt. The French international has been on the Blues’ radar for over twelve months, and a move could finally materialise. Chelsea’s search for a solid central defender has become complicated on many fronts. Thomas Tuchel desperately needs new members in the defensive unit after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

Tuchel wants a player who could balance the equation at the heart of the Chelsea defence, as he cannot go into the season with his current options. The German manager has chased Kounde as his primary target for over a year, and Chelsea could return to Sevilla with an offer. After much deliberation, the Blues started the summer transfer window by enquiring about Kounde before switching their attention towards Juventus’s Matthijs de Ligt. The turn of focus occurred after Chelsea were unwilling to match Sevilla’s asking price for the Frenchman and the fact that Barcelona emerged as favourites to sign him.

The Blaugrana are struggling financially and were boosted by the news of Sevilla setting a deadline to Chelsea for the Kounde deal. The Catalans have been hoping to see the Blues cool their interest in the French international permanently, enabling them to reduce the asking price.

However, in recent days, Chelsea have fallen behind in the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt, with Bayern Munich looking likely to sign the Dutchman. With things becoming more complicated than Tuchel had anticipated, Chelsea are reportedly ready to go back for Kounde as things stand. Salomon Kalou revealed last year that he is a huge fan of the defender and wants the Blues to make a move.