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Chelsea have been on the search for a reliable figure to strengthen their options at the heart of their defense over the last couple of weeks. It appears they are finally close to luring one of the brightest defenders from La Liga to Stamford Bridge this summer.
According to reports in Metro, Chelsea are on the verge of signing Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde. The Blues have been monitoring the Spaniard for quite some time as Thomas Tuchel highlighted him as his priority target following the capture of Romelu Lukaku a few days ago.
It was claimed earlier that the Londoners would need to offload at least one of their current centre-backs before making a move for Kounde and Kurt Zouma has been placed on the transfer market.
The Frenchman was closing in on a switch to West Ham but the transfer slowed down due to the player's wage demands. Regardless, it is expected to go through now that Chelsea have agreed to sell him to their Premier League neighbors for a fee worth around €30 million.
According to French broadcaster TF1, all three parties held talks on Wednesday morning and are confident the deal will materialize. A medical for Kurt Zouma has been scheduled for Thursday in Paris. Depending on how things pan out, an announcement could be made in the coming hours.
Zouma joined Chelsea from French club Saint-Ettiene in a deal worth €14 million in the summer of 2014. He's made 151 appearances for the Blues so far, bagging 10 goals and six assists.
Chelsea reach agreement for Jules Kounde's transfer
With Kurt Zouma now only closer than ever to leaving Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have moved ahead with their attempt to sign Jules Kounde and a deal worth €50 million plus bonuses has now been agreed between the two clubs for the defender's transfer, as per Gianluca Di Marzio.
Meanwhile, the Blues are not the only club interested in the Spaniard's services. The likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool are said to be monitoring the player as well. With just a week left before the transfer window shuts this summer, Chelsea will need to speed up their approach to lure the centre-back to Stamford Bridge.
