Chelsea have been handed a blow in their pursuit of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde as he prioritises a move to Barcelona, Mundo 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.
Kounde has been mentioned as the top priority for Chelsea. The Frenchman was also on their radar last year, but it now appears he wants to continue in LaLiga with Barcelona.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Kounde is prepared to snub interest from Chelsea and Newcastle United in order to secure a move to the Catalan giants this summer.
He currently has a €90 million (£77m) release clause on his contract, but Sevilla are willing to sell him for much less. They currently value him between £56-60m.
Barcelona are not in a position to meet their demands, but will try to include Sergino Dest and Trincao as potential makeweights to lower the final transfer fee.
Our view:
Kounde recently underwent a minor surgery for a pelvic injury, but he is expected to return for the start of the season. Hence, it is unlikely to hinder his summer exit.
The 23-year-old has now been fancied to join Barcelona, but the LaLiga club are currently in a dire financial situation and need to offload several high-profile players first.
Their vice president for finance Eduard Romeu recently said that they need as much as £427 million to save the club. Amidst this, they are unlikely to make a huge outlay on Kounde.
Their only hope of signing him could be a part-exchange deal, but Sevilla may not prefer such an agreement as they also need to balance the books and bring fresh faces at the back.
They recently sold Diego Carlos to Aston Villa and Kounde’s exit would leave them without two of their key centre-backs. They have work to do in the transfer market to fill the void.
This should offer an advantage to Chelsea in the transfer pursuit. They are expected to spend big on their defence this summer and should be optimistic of persuading Kounde.
