2. Jules Kounde “buzzing to join” Chelsea from Sevilla
On 27 July 2021, Fabrizio Romano broke the news of Chelsea “opening official talks with Sevilla for their French defender Jules Kounde. He’s the main target as center-back.” The negotiation for the defender continues to take place after the first proposal put forward by the Blues was turned down by the Spanish club. Kounde has already agreed personal terms with Chelsea as his preference was always to join a Champions League club, hence why he rejected the proposal of Tottenham Hotspur.
One thing to keep in mind is that this deal for the French defender will not be as easy to complete as expected at first. Having sold Bryan Gil to Tottenham Hotspur for £22.50 million + Erik Lamela, Sevilla is in no hurry to sell as it has already made a sale. Kounde has a release clause of £68 million, now the Spanish club would only accept a fee near that figure. Chelsea is willing to include Kurt Zouma in this deal, which will reduce the fee, but not much as Sevilla is still demanding at £40 million. It is also said that the west London club is so keen on the player that even if Zouma is not included in the deal, the club will go forward with the deal.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is very keen to add Kounde to his team. With an aging back line and three centrebacks in the final year of their contract, the Blues must sign new and young players for their defense. The French centerback possesses the ability to play comfortable on the ball. This trait is something that the German tactician would appreciate to further strengthen this philosophy of playing out from the back. The fans can expect this transfer to go through as Sevilla has started looking at potential replacements for the 22-year-old and the deal can be completed by next week.