In 2022, Chelsea were in the midst of a strange period in the club’s recent history. They were just a few months removed from winning the Champions League for the second time in club history but the cracks were starting to show between Thomas Tuchel and management.
The Blues had lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to free transfers and the club was in flux after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell his shares of the club. Amidst all that, Chelsea were trying to convince Sevilla defender Jules Kounde to join the club and become their next star central defender.
After a protracted transfer saga, Kounde would eventually reject the Blues in favor of moving to Barcelona who were in the midst of their own chaotic period. The move has worked out for Kounde as he helped Barca win La Liga in 2022-23 and has lifted two Spanish Supercups as well.
Now three years later, the Blues are back and trying to bring Kounde to Stamford Bridge once and for all. According to Caught Offside, Kounde is a bit unsettled at Barca because they want to play him at right back and he prefers to play centerback. This is similar to Chelsea’s own situation with Renato Viega but he is nowhere near as accomplished as the French defender.
Kounde has an absurd €1 billion release clause so that would not be the path forward but a sufficient bid could be enough to convince Barcelona to move on from him. FotMob has him valued at $65 million but the Blues would have to pay considerably more to make this transfer happen.
This would be a significant departure from the club’s current transfer policy of focusing almost exclusively on young players but it could also be a statement of intent. If Chelsea make the Champions League next season they know they will have to make upgrades at key positions in order to compete.
Signing a player like Kounde, along with a top tier striker to lead the line, could help them turn in to actual contenders and bring leadership to the young squad. We know Barcelona are stingy negotiators so it will not be easy to convince them to sell Kounde, but if the player believes in the current Chelsea project and wants to play in central defense then there is a path to him making the move.
We will keep an eye on this rumor and see if it is just smoke or if Chelsea are really cooking something here.