Chelsea have submitted an offer worth £50m [€60m] for Jules Kounde and are close to reaching an agreement with Sevilla to sign the centre-back, according to reports via TeamTalk.
Thomas Tuchel is facing the prospect of overhauling his defence as Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are all out of contract at the end of the season and are no closer to signing extensions.
With Thiago Silva also turning 38 this year, Chelsea are going to need to bring in defensive reinforcements and Kounde has emerged as a prime target once again after almost moving to Stamford Bridge last summer.
It looks like the Blues have now renewed their interest as TeamTalk are citing a report from Tuttomercatoweb that claims Chelsea are in talks with Sevilla about a deal to sign Kounde at the end of the season.
The Italian outlet says Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has tabled an offer worth £46m [€55m] up front plus £4m [€5m] in bonuses meaning the entire deal would be worth £50m [€60m] to the La Liga side.
The report claims that negotiations between the two clubs are at the advanced stage and an agreement is close to being reached that would see Kounde move to West London in the summer.
The 23-year-old has developed into one of the best young centre-backs in European football since joining Sevilla from Bordeaux in 2019 and he’s now a vital part of Julen Lopetegui’s starting eleven.
Kounde has also established himself at international level after earning 7 caps for the senior French national team having represented his country at various youth levels.
It seems his potential has caught the attention of Chelsea chiefs and a deal is now in the pipeline for Kounde to move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but with the likes of Azpilicueta, Rudiger and Christensen all tipped to leave over the coming months, Chelsea need a couple of centre-backs and Kounde should prove to be an excellent addition to Tuchel’s squad if the Blues can get this proposed deal over the line.
