While Barcelona have brought in Anthony Gordon for £69m, Chelsea fans are still waiting for their club to make a marquee signing this summer.
It has been difficult, as the transfer market has gone wild. Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have paid £85m for Mateus Fernandes despite West Ham United’s relegation and are now set to drop another £100m on Sandro Tonali.
Fernandes and Tonali are good players, but these are incredibly high fees and are why Chelsea’s sporting directors will deserve a lot of credit if they manage to land one Barcelona star.
Who would you start in a five-man defence for Chelsea?
Jules Kounde for £55m would be a steal
Chelsea have long-term interest in Jules Kounde and may now have a golden opportunity to sign the defender.
According to the Daily Briefing, Barcelona have put Kounde on the market for just £55m and have already sounded out Chelsea about doing a deal.
In their quest to bring in some reinforcements after a really disappointing season, Kounde ticks every box.
Chelsea are on the hunt for a new central defender and want to add more experience to their squad. It is a position that Kounde can play in, while the Frenchman is now 27 and has made nearly 200 appearances for Barcelona.
There will be some concerns about his height, with Kounde standing at 5’11”. But if Xabi Alonso uses a back three, he definitely has the qualities to occupy the right centre-back role.
Kounde can also play at right-back, which is where he has mostly started for Barcelona since joining the club from Sevilla in 2022.
All in all, Chelsea will struggle to find a better defender than Kounde this summer, especially for £55m. In this market, that is an absolute bargain for a player of the France international’s calibre.
Chelsea view Marco Palestra as a “ready-made” signing, but that is very debatable to say the least. However, there is no arguing about Kounde, who would certainly be that if he does join Chelsea.
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