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Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Premier League giants Chelsea have prioritized the signing of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
The La Liga star currently has an €80 million release clause, but the Blues could get him for a discounted price of around €65 million.
Thomas Tuchel's side are in dire need of reinforcements at the back ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. The west London outfit have already lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, while Andreas Christensen is also closing in on a free transfer to Barcelona (via Fabrizio Romano).
Without two of their first-team centre-backs, Chelsea could have a hard time fighting on all fronts next season. To get out of this mess, the Pensioners must find a way to bring in a tried and tested centre-back in the summer transfer window.
According to Romano, the London side have set their sights on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde — a player Thomas Tuchel "wants" in his ranks. The Blues had tried hard to get Kounde in last summer's transfer window but could not complete the deal.
The French defender has already had talks with the club, but Sevilla are yet to receive an opening bid from the two-time Champions League winners. Giving a rundown of the situation, the transfers expert tweeted:
"Jules Koundé deal, still priority for Chelsea. Tuchel wants him. Talks are well advanced on player side, while Sevilla are still waiting to receive the opening bid for the French centre back."
"Price tag will be around €65m, less than €80m release clause."
Kounde, whose contract expires in 2024, featured in 44 games across competitions for Sevilla in the 2021-22 season, recording three goals and an assist.
The 23-year-old has also represented the French national team nine times in his career.
Jules Kounde could be an excellent addition to Chelsea
Like most modern coaches, Thomas Tuchel demands that his defenders be good with the ball at their feet. Sevilla's Kounde should have no issues catering to that particular need.
Kounde is also a reliable distributor and has a knack for creating goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Over the course of the 2021-22 La Liga campaign, Kounde attained 93.9% passing accuracy (1903 of 2124 passes completed), made 15 key passes, and saw 123 of his balls enter the final third.
The France international also showed his excellent game-reading skills (55 interceptions) and confidently cleared the ball (114 clearances) out of harm’s way.
Given how inflated the market has become, getting such a technically gifted player for around €65 million would be considered good business on Chelsea's part. Kounde's Transfermarkt value currently reads €60.5 million.
