Chelsea transfers: Blues set to hijack Jules Kounde from Spurs

Things have been unusually quiet on the Chelsea transfer front thus far this summer. This usually means one of two things. The Blues are either stumped, as we saw when they chased Alex Sandro in the summer of 2017/18 and ended up panic purchasing Davide Zappacosta on deadline day, or they have something big in the works. As players continued to shuffle out of SW6, fans became restless. The only news coming from the club was the same statement reworded a million different ways about the pursuit of Erling Haaland—until now.

Fabrizio Romano dropped a breaking news bomb on Twitter on Tuesday morning as he announced the Blues were in talks with Sevilla over a transfer. Chelsea has opened exclusive talks the Spanish club regarding young phenom Jules Kounde. Kounde has been courted by many clubs this summer—including Tottenham Hotspur—but has held out for Champions League football. He is said to be keen on joining the Champions of Europe.

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Chelsea is in serious talks with Sevilla over the transfer of Jules Kounde.

Kounde has been one of the most talked about transfers of the summer. Spurs reportedly agreed to a deal with Sevilla over the transfer of the 22-year-old, but he rejected due to their European status. It now seems as if that wait has paid off. The advanced discussions are a breath of fresh air to Chelsea fans who have sat back and watched top tier centerbacks fly off the shelves, to rivals no less. Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Raphael Varane (Manchester United) and Ben White (Arsenal) have all been linked with the Blues in the past and ended up elsewhere. As Spurs turn their attention to Cristian Romero, their west London rivals were not going to sit idly by and watch another side scoop up Kounde.

The talks with Kounde are also a positive because any deal would bring some youth into the centerback room. Chelsea currently has four centerbacks with one-year left on their deals, as well. Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta have yet to agree to an extension with the club, putting the Blues between a rock and a hard place for windows to come.

As for Kounde, he was a stand-out performer in La Liga last season. He helped carry Sevilla to a fourth place finish, securing Champions League football for Los Nervionenses once again. He began his senior career in his native France with Bordeaux before making the jump to Spain for £21.8 million back in 2019. There, he has blossomed into one of the world’s best young defenders.  The Frenchman played 4,122 minutes (49 total matches) last season across four competitions, including La Liga, the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup. However, he’s only managed to capture one trophy in his career in the 2019/20 Europa League. Kounde has expressed his love for Sevilla, but many believe it’s time for a new challenge.

The deal is not over the line yet, it is said to be up to the two clubs at this point though. Whereas many Blues fans have been hung up on Haaland news, this will provide a much-needed distraction. It also means the board is branching out and securing other top targets, unlike in ’17/18 when it settled for mainly second-choice individuals. Lastly, a Kounde deal would soften the blow dealt to Chelsea supporters when Marc Guehi made his move to Crystal Palace. The acquisition of a UCL-seasoned youngster often has that impact on sides. Overall, a deal for Kounde is welcomed news all around as it means the Blues are continuing to plan for the future with elite talent.

What do you think about the Kounde news? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!