This summer, CHELSEA and Barcelona are engaged in a competition to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
Jules Kounde flew to Portugal rather than London to complete his physical, putting Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel in danger of losing to Barcelona for the second time this summer. Raphinha was on the verge of joining the Blues from Leeds United earlier this month until La Blaugrana intervened to scuttle the deal.
Not only in summer, but even in January, the Kounde transfer drama took unexpected turns. Only Chelsea was bold enough seven months ago to try to persuade Sevilla to make a deal in the middle of the season, and despite coming close, the Blues turned away after finding that fulfilling his £68 million release clause was not an option.
After completing another portion of his contract, the player's asking price has increased, and Chelsea is said to have reached an agreement for a sum around £55 million. Personal terms are also thought to be a formality, but Barca's continued presence raises concerns that it could cause problems, much like the agonizing Raphinha near-miss that the Blues experienced.
Kounde's flight to Portugal on Thursday to join Sevilla's preseason tour is a good indication for La Blaugrana, who reportedly told the player to hold out until they had the funds to make their own offer.
Raphinha was not available to Chelsea this summer because Barcelona took advantage of their agreement (Image)
The 23-year-old was initially left behind as Chelsea's acquisition of him proceeded, and according to The Sun, he'surprise' many of his teammates by showing up to board the bus. However, the news is not all bad for the Blues, the source added: "He will most likely still sign with Chelsea. When Kounde showed up for the bus to Lagos, everyone was astounded. But he believes that even as a Sevilla player, he should be a "professional.""
When selling one of its best commodities, Sevilla is rumored to prefer working with an international team rather than a La Liga rival. Despite rumors that Kounde would secretly prefer a move to the Camp Nou, that would seem to give Chelsea the advantage.
The defender has been virtually constant for Sevilla over the past three seasons, making 44 appearances in all competitions as they finished fourth in the league with just four losses. Since Manchester United acquired Lisandro Martinez, concerns about the height of center-backs have been a hot topic of discussion. At 5 feet 10 inches, Kounde would fall into the shortest category.
But because of his quickness and defensive skills, he can play in the middle or on the right side of defense, which makes him the ideal match for Thomas Tuchel's back three at Stamford Bridge. This summer, Chelsea has already lost important defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen; Kalidou Koulibaly is the only defender whose signing has been officially confirmed to date.
According to reports, Jules Kounde wants to continue playing professionally while remaining a Sevilla player. (Photo)
During the preseason, Tuchel remarked, "You always need to find the balance between protecting the road for the boys from the academy and for being able to win. "Relying only on a young player doesn't assist him either, and he won't be able to perform at the level we and the fans expect of him in the first few weeks. That wouldn't be of any use.
"I didn't know Trevoh [Chalobah] very well when he came here on loan, but he stepped up after five or six weeks of preseason and was dependable."
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