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According to reports, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all interested in signing Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde in the summer. The French defender has a release clause of £68 million in his contract and all three clubs are set to battle it out for him in the transfer market.
According to Florian Plettenburg from Sky Germany, all three clubs have made contact with the Frenchman's representatives.
Chelsea were very close to signing Kounde last summer but decided not to pay the release clause in the end. Now it seems likely that they will have to battle the two Spanish giants to secure the services of the Frenchman.
Kounde joined Sevilla from Boudeaux in 2019 for around €25 million and has become a mainstay in the Andalusians' defense since. He has made 119 appearances for the Spanish club and has also contributed seven goals and three assists. However, his discipline on the pitch has been under scrutiny this season.
Barcelona are looking for a potential replacement for 35-year-old Gerard Pique. With Ronald Araujo also rumored to leave the club in the summer, they will need to sign a center-back.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, let go of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane last summer while signing David Alaba and are also i n the market for a central defender. The position is currently occupied by Eder Militao and Alaba, with Nacho Hernandez in the rotation.
Chelsea favorites to sign Kounde with Barcelona and Real Madrid interested in the Blues' defenders
Chelsea have three defenders running out of contracts in the summer. They are Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing both Christensen and Azpilicueta, while Real Madrid are interested in the latter. If the two Spanish clubs do sign them on a free transfer, they could drop their interest in Kounde.
Blaugrana are dealing with financial issues. They signed Ferran Torres in January and needed Samuel Umtiti to agree to a lesser salary to register the striker. They also signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for free and Adama Traore for around £29 million. They would likely not want to spend £68 million for Kounde given that they need to sign multiple players.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, would like to focus more on full-backs and attacking players in the summer.
Hence, it seems likely that the Blues might be able to prize Kounde away.
