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Chelsea are reportedly on the verge of completing a transfer for Jules Kounde from Sevilla. If finalized, this would make the French centre-back their third signing of the summer so far.
Chelsea reporter Simon Phillips claims that the Blues are getting close to reaching an agreement for £51.1 million with the La Liga club. Despite earlier claims of Barcelona's interest in the defender, there is no offer on the table from their side.
The west London outfit started off their summer spending spree by signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for a deal worth £55 million. Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly became their second signing, costing the Blues around €40 million in transfer fees.
Kounde could now become their third acquisition since the start of the Todd Boehly era. Chelsea's long-term interest in the centre-back is no secret, with Frank Lampard getting close to signing him last summer.
However, Kounde stayed at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium for the season that followed. He went on to feature in 44 games across all competitions for Julen Lopetegui's side, helping them finish fourth in the league and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Koulibaly's addition was never going to be enough for Thomas Tuchel considering the need to rebuild the club's defense this summer. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both left this summer to join Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
The duo were trusted by the German manager in his backline and their loss was bound to hit hard. The problem is compounded by the fact that Thiago Silva is already 37 years old and in the last year of his contract.
Chelsea more likely to sign Jules Kounde than Presnel Kimpembe
Chelsea's interest in Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe is well known. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are confident of landing the defender and are prepared to submit a bid in the region of €45-50 million.
However, transfer insider Dean Jones believes that Tuchel's side are more likely to sign Kounde than Kimpembe. He told GiveMeSport:
“Speaking to someone at Chelsea on Monday night gave me the impression they see Kounde as more likely than Kimpembe at this moment in time.
He added:
“I don’t think it’s that they prefer Kounde – ideally they would get both – but there just seems to be quite a few hurdles to get over with Kimpembe.”
Kounde is younger than Kimpembe and still has a few years left until he enters his prime. Since the Sevilla star has already verbally agreed on terms with the Blues, it makes more sense to get that deal over the line first.
