Chelsea are likely to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde before the end of the month, Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo claims.
The Blues are expected to bolster their central defensive department this summer with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving the club on free transfers.
There are also doubts over the future of Cesar Azpilicueta. The long-standing Blues star has been fancied to pursue a fresh challenge in the Spanish LaLiga with Barcelona.
Hence, Chelsea could recruit more than one centre-back this summer. Kounde is obviously the prime target, and he has been tipped to join by June 30, barring any surprises.
The west London giants are yet to make a formal transfer offer, but a bid of around £51-55 million has been mooted. Negotiations are said to be ‘imminent’ between the sides.
Our view:
Kounde was on Chelsea’s radar during last summer’s transfer window, but they could not reach a suitable agreement. Sevilla wanted his £68 million buy-out clause to be paid in full.
There appears room for negotiation this time. Chelsea seem in pole position to sign him, having already agreed personal terms. Their nearest competitors are Barcelona, who have financial problems.
A transfer before June 30 seems quite realistic, considering Sevilla may want to balance their financial books, and put themselves in a good position to spend on a replacement for the Frenchman.
Kounde would be assured a consistent starting role with his switch to Stamford Bridge. Given his positional preferences for club and country, he could feature on the right side of the back three.
The 23-year-old would be a solid acquisition with his strong distribution. He completed nearly 89 per cent of his passes in La Liga last term while winning over five duels per appearance.
He is not the tallest of defenders at 178cm, but possesses an incredible leap in the air. He does not shy away from physical duels and should fit in perfectly in the Blues’ 3-4-2-1 set-up.
