Chelsea have been waiting for Sevilla to give the green light for Jules Kounde’s transfer in the last three days amid a possible counter-offer from Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano.
During an interview with Sky Sports, Thomas Tuchel made it clear that he wants a “minimum” of one more new defender this summer.
Asked about any update on Chelsea’s pursuit of Kounde, the manager said: “No news. If there will ever be news about Jules Kounde, I will tell you.”
While Tuchel refused to answer the question directly, his response suggests that Chelsea are working behind the scene to sign the Sevilla centre-back.
Obviously, the Blues are not the only club interested in Kounde.
Romano claims that in the past two weeks, the France international has been in talks with both Chelsea and Barcelona.
He adds that Chelsea have already made an official bid three days ago, which The Telegraph claims is worth £55million.
“Barcelona’s proposals will not match Chelsea’s conditions,” the Italian transfer expert explained on Twitter.
“Too high, different [payment structures].”
Romano also mentions that while Sevilla sources deny any agreement with Barcelona, as suggested by earlier reports in Spain, the Catalan club are also “preparing an official offer to try to hijack the [Chelsea] deal”.
“Chelsea are still waiting for Sevilla and Kounde’s green light since Thursday,” he added.
If, as Romano claims, Chelsea have been made to wait for three days already, this might indicate that either Sevilla or Kounde is waiting for Barcelona to submit their bid.
From Sevilla’s perspective, a bidding war between the two clubs would certainly benefit them, while reports in Spain suggest that the 23-year-old himself prefers a move to Camp Nou.
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