Chelsea fear they could lose out on Sevilla star Jules Kounde amidst Barcelona interest
According to Daily Star, Chelsea are worried that they could lose out in the race to sign Sevilla star Jules Kounde amidst interest from Barcelona ahead of the summer transfer window. The Blues were in the pole position to secure his signature before the unfortunate circumstances forced them to put their pursuit on hold for now.
Chelsea were leading the race to facilitate a move for Kounde in a deal that would have seen them pay up to £60million to Julen Lopetegui’s side. They were even assured by the defender through mediators that he would reject all offers from the other interested parties. However, his future is now in uncertain waters as the Blues are looking to find new owners at this moment.
Barca have expressed an interest to secure the Frenchman’s services, but they are not alone in the race as Real Madrid are also monitoring the situation. Several other unknown parties are in the fray as well, and they could now use this opportunity to make their case with the central defender.
Find a way!
The 23-year-old is our top transfer target for the upcoming summer transfer window. A centre-back addition is key for us but it remains to be seen just how the sanctions impact our ability to bring in much-needed reinforcements.
What’s more, our plans to back Thomas Tuchel is in ruins for now as we were plotting to bring in at least three new players after this term. A part of the expense would have been taken care of through sales this summer, but even that cannot be done because of the current transfer ban.
The UK Government has to assist us in some sort of way as the club is a part of the cultural history as well. As such, we are optimistic that a sale can be facilitated at the earliest so that the club can return to how it was before these uncertainties.
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That being said, we must be quick with these matters as the La Liga centre-back could be crucial to bolstering the backline. That is because three of our defensive choices, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen, are in the last year of their respective deals and could leave for free next summer.
Not to mention, we also need to prepare for life after Thiago Silva and replacing him would not be an easy task. Kounde can be a safety net, but our chances of signing him is now in question. It remains to be seen how this situation will turn out in the coming months ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.