Chelsea target Jules Kounde has agreed to personal terms with Barcelona
Jules Kounde, who has been on the Chelsea transfer wishlist for a while now, has agreed to personal terms with Barcelona over a potential move. All that remains is for the Blaugrana to negotiate terms with Sevilla, according to journalist Gerard Romero (h/t Metro).
The Blues have been eyeing the French centre-back since last summer. A move didn’t materialise back then, but the Stamford Bridge side have still been one of the frontrunners for a while. But it seems the Catalans are going to pip Chelsea to the 23-year-old’s signing.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club at the end of their contracts this summer. The two defenders played a big part in Thomas Tuchel’s back three. The Blues are now trying to replace them and have so far been unable to bring in replacements.
Kounde has been one of the names touted to play alongside Thiago Silva for a while now. Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr are the other senior centre-backs in the squad, although they’re inexperienced.
Cesar Azpilicueta is the other defender capable of playing in the centre-back role. But the Spaniard has also agreed to personal terms with Barcelona. Chelsea remains adamant about only letting the 32-year-old go for a set price and it remains to be seen how this pans out.
All this makes signing centre-backs a priority for us. And we seem to be on the verge of signing one. The Blues reached an agreement for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, with the player set to fly in for a medical.
If we get the deal for the Senegalese over the line, it’ll be interesting to see whether we rival the Spanish giants in their bid to sign Kounde. Only one centre-back isn’t enough. Other additions will provide more depth to the squad.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is a fast and agile defender. His versatility makes him an asset in any squad. If he signs, Tuchel will have the option to play with three or two centre-backs.
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Fans will hope that the Catalans are unable to get their man and Chelsea get another shot at pursuing Kounde. With teams around us strengthening this summer, we need to keep up as well to challenge for titles.