‘I will stay’: £48m player suggests he won’t be joining Chelsea this summer

Add as preferred source on Google

Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino have now been handed a blow by Jules Kounde after he commented on his future.

A story from SPORT in Spain claimed that the Frenchman is unhappy at Barcelona and wants to leave the Camp Nou, with Chelsea preparing a bid in the region of £48m after coming close to signing him in 2022.

Now – however – Chelsea may have to explore alternatives to Jules Kounde.

What’s the story?

Well, the France international has now addressed rumours about his situation at Barcelona, and it is bad news for Chelsea.

Kounde told BeIN Sports: “My future? I will stay at Barcelona, of course.”

Xavi added that there is “no issue at all with Jules” as the pair squashed talk of the 24-year-old moving to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s interest in Kounde has not just come out of the blue – he has seemingly been a target since 2019.

A story from The Athletic in 2021 claimed that Chelsea were determined to sign the Paris-born defender, and had been tracking him for two years prior to that article coming out.

Therefore – if reports are true – Chelsea have been keen to sign Kounde for almost five years, so his comments about staying at Barcelona will surely annoy those on the recruitment team at Chelsea.

Kounde blow has been softened for Chelsea

In our view, this news would have been more crushing for Chelsea if Thiago Silva was leaving west London.

There were rumours suggesting that the Brazil international would be returning to his homeland with Fluminense this summer, as detailed by Extra Globo.

However, Silva has now told Chelsea’s official website that he will be staying for at least two more years, which lessens the need to sign another defender like Kounde this summer.

The South American said: “The whole family have fallen in love with Chelsea. My sons, Isago and Iago, both play for Chelsea. Isago has extended his contract here for the next two seasons, which means we are going to be here for two years.”

While some Chelsea fans may be upset by Kounde’s decision, Silva’s comments will surely ease the pain.