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Chelsea have been linked with a swoop for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde over the last few weeks as they look to reinforce their defence this summer.
While reports initially claimed that the Blues had submitted a bid for the Frenchman, Sevilla president Jose Castro has said the club has received no offer from the Premier League giants.
“At the moment Kounde is a Sevilla player," Jose Castro said in a statement to local media shortly after the draw for the 2021-22 Champions League. "What we have done this year is to reinforce, we’ve signed six footballers. We want to have a powerful team.
“We always study the offers that may come. But the days are running out, and for now, there is nothing," the La Liga club's president added.
Chelsea's priority in the summer transfer window is to sign a big-name forward and a reliable centre-back. Having met their first objective with the capture of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan, they've now switched their attention to Jules Kounde.
The Blues have been monitoring the defender for the last few months, and are convinced they can lure him to Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closes in a few days.
Kounde was one of the most impressive defenders in La Liga last season, putting up scintillating displays for Sevilla in 34 appearances in the Spanish top flight. He also scored four goals and bagged an assist across all competitions.
Chelsea paving the way for Jules Kounde
The Blues are looking to offload one of their centre-backs to accommodate the Spaniard in their squad, with Kurt Zouma close to joining West Ham.
The Frenchman has reportedly had his medical with the Hammers and is expected to seal a £25-million switch to the London Stadium shortly. That should pave the way for Jules Kounde's arrival at Chelsea.
