Report: Chelsea's interest in the 23-year-old has cooled in favor of a high-profile alternative
According to Sport, Chelsea have dropped their interest in Sevilla defender Jules Kounde in favor of Juventus' Matthijs De Ligt, in whom Thomas Tuchel is interested.
This summer, Kounde was expected to join Chelsea, with whom he reportedly already had personal agreements.
According to the Spanish outlet, the only thing missing was an improved bid from Chelsea, who had their €50 million (nearly £43 million) bid rejected by Sevilla a year ago.
Sevilla are reportedly looking for a €65 million (£56 million) deal for the France international.
However, De Ligt's reported request to leave Juventus has apparently piqued Tuchel's interest, leading to Chelsea's withdrawal of interest in Kounde.
While it is unlikely, the Blues could try to sign both De Ligt and Kounde this summer, following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, but they may miss out on the latter due to their slow approach.
According to Sport, Barcelona is getting closer to signing Kounde and has approached both Sevilla and the player's representatives.
Xavi Hernandez is said to be a big fan of the centre-back, but Barcelona is also concerned about Sevilla's asking price.
Barcelona is said to have tried to offer a swap deal plus cash and a loan with an obligation to buy after a year, both of which reportedly failed to satisfy Sevilla, but are expected to increase their offer.
Chelsea is in a difficult situation in their pursuit of Kounde.
It's unclear whether Chelsea's reported move is due to Tuchel's preference for De Ligt over Kounde, but the club's obvious need for new center-backs puts them at a disadvantage in any transfer negotiations.
De Ligt still has two years left on his contract with Juventus, and according to La Gazzetta dello Sports, the club is not interested in listening to offers far below the defender's €120 million (£103.3 million) release clause.
The Blues have a number of players, including Timo Werner, who they could offer to Juventus to offset potential transfer fees, but such a complicated deal would be difficult to complete.
In the worst-case scenario, Chelsea may be forced to look for alternative center-back options after failing to secure a deal for De Ligt or Kounde
blogpay
Total Comments: 0