Kounde left out of Sevilla squad as Chelsea close in on defender
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Jules Kounde left out of Sevilla squad amid £55m Chelsea transfer offer and Barcelona interest
Jules Kounde has been left out of Sevilla's 31-man squad to travel to Portugal for their second training camp of the summer. The Frenchman had previously been named in the La Liga side's squad for the trip to South Korea. Julen Lopetegui's side head to Lagos on Thursday afternoon, ahead of a weekend friendly against Sporting CP. Kounde will not be among their ranks as he appears to near a move away from the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. Whether that is to Chelsea are Barcelona remains to be seen, however. football.london understands that Chelsea made good progress over a deal with the Spanish side earlier this week with a deal worth £55 million, including add-ons, close to being agreed. The Blues have long since had a verbal agreement with the 23-year-old, having tracked the defender since last summer. READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel anger following Charlotte FC shootout justifies Chelsea's £47.5m transfer priority The Blues were said to be confident of agreeing a deal with Sevilla, though reports suggest that Barcelona have not given up hope. They are unlikely to be able to match Chelsea's offer and may need their target to have as staunch a stance as Raphinha did earlier this summer. Kounde was widely expected to be Chelsea's first signing of the summer having made early progress over a deal. However, following Chelsea's takeover and Marina Granovskaia departing her role as director at the club, progress seemed to cool over a deal and the Blues have since signed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. Initial delays in interest seemed sensible with Kounde having Nation League commitments with France before requiring surgery for a long-standing injury. Sevilla said at the time: "As was scheduled several weeks ago, Jules Kounde will undergo an operation on Tuesday in Bordeaux for a minor pelvis injury. In principle, if everything goes as expected, the French international will be available for the start of the 2022/23 season." Kounde completed some rehabilitation work earlier in the summer in Los Angeles before returning to Sevilla's training base but did not feature in the side's opening friendly against Tottenham. Earlier this week Kounde, whilst driving his car out of the Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios, was congratulated for his pending transfer. A fan said to him: "Good luck wherever you go, have a great time. He responded with a "thank you", in a video that has gone viral on social media. Read Next:
Chelsea target Kounde left out of Sevilla squad for pre-season getaway
Sevilla left defender Jules Kounde out of their pre-season squad for a trip to Portugal, as he looks to be on his way to Chelsea. Kounde has been linked with a move for much of the transfer window, and it appears he is now close to changing clubs. Chelsea have reportedly upped their bid to £55million, and Sevilla's decision to leave him out of plans for their camp in Portugal suggests he may indeed be heading to Stamford Bridge. However, Barcelona are also reportedly keen on the Frenchman and could make a late attempt to pip the English side to his services. Kounde signed for Sevilla from Bordeaux in 2019 and has impressed with the Spanish side, helping them to win the Europa League in the 2019-20 campaign. He would add steel to his new side's backline, after he ranked first in duels won (169) and second in blocks (17) among Sevilla players in LaLiga last season, as well as second in headed clearances (56).
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