Barcelona 'admits' to Chelsea transfer takeover after losing out due to "lack of funds"
Barcelona may be on the verge of outbidding Chelsea for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, just days after it was assumed that the Spanish giants had run out of funds.
Barcelona are scheduled to intercept Chelsea's £1.2 billion move for Jules Kounde, just days after it was revealed that they missed out on a deal for Kalidou Koulibaly due to "lack of funds."
The Catalan entities were beaten to a deal for Koulibaly, who joined the Blues in a £33 million deal earlier this month. Chelsea appeared to be the frontrunners to sign the coveted defender, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claiming that he told Koulibaly that he couldn't let him join Barcelona because they had "no money."
However, the La Liga club will compete once more with Chelsea for Kounde, who looks set to leave Sevilla this summer.
According to SPORT, Barcelona have 'signed agreements' on a four-year contract with Kounde, who appeared to be on his way to Stamford Bridge. The Blues failed in their attempt to sign the 23-year-old last year, but renewed their interest after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
According to the report, Barcelona's offer will fall short of Chelsea's £55 million offer for Kounde, but the Spanish giants intend to pay the entire sum upfront and believe that Sevilla will 'accept the terms' of their offer.
Kounde's introduction would have been the latest high-profile signing for Barcelona this spring, raising warnings about the club's financial situation. The Spanish giants have been active in the transfer market, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski joining for around £90 million. Christensen and Franck Kessie are also free transfers to the Nou Camp.
Dropping to Barcelona on Kounde would seem to be a huge setback for Tuchel, who is running out of steam to put together a new defense. The 2022/23 Premier League season is now less than a fortnight away, and the Blues have only added Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling this summer.
Chelsea have also been underwhelming all through their pre-season tour of the United States, with Tuchel lashing out at his players after they were thrashed 4-0 by Arsenal last saturday afternoon. And the Blues manager has already acknowledged that he is unsure whether his team will be ready for summer opener against Everton.
Tuchel was enraged: "I can't promise anything. I saw currently a team in Arsenal who are psychologically completely dedicated to an idea of playing, a level of fatigue, a level of physical pledge that we could not match.".
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