'Really disappointed': Journalist says £68m rated star was gutted he didn't join Chelsea in the summer
Liam Twomey from The Athletic suggested that Jules Kounde was upset he didn’t link up with Chelsea over the summer.
Speaking on Laurenz Vescoli’s YouTube channel, Twomey vocalised the Frenchman’s feelings of regret about not signing for the Champions League holders in the sun-shining months.
On Kounde’s case
Kounde had been courted by the Blues for quite some time, but their attentions heated up in the previous transfer window.
Other than landing a new centre-forward, which eventually turned out to be Romelu Lukaku, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy earmarked another centre-half as a priority.
This led to the pursuit of Sevilla’s young centre-back, with Thomas Tuchel apparently steering the charge.
The deal did not come to light, however, as the Spanish side demanded their defender’s £68m (Goal) release clause be paid in full.
Chelsea were simply not willing to relinquish such cash, especially as they had intentions of throwing a lot of money at a striker.
Both clubs turned their back on the move, much to the Kounde’s dissatisfaction.
“It was clear the player really wanted to join and was really disappointed the move didn’t happen,” said Twomey.
Jules just needs to be paitent
However, the 23-year-old may not need to sulk for much longer.
Another bid from the Blues is reportedly being brewed up.
According to ESPN, Chelsea are considering speaking to Sevilla again in January about the France international.
A proposal that would certainly sit well with Kounde, who has seemingly set his heart on moving to South West London.
“I’m sure if Chelsea picked it up again next year, they would be very confident of turning Kounde’s head and that he would be keen on making the move,” continued Twomey.
Due to the contractual situations of Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta, the Blues may have no choice but to ramp up their efforts to land Kounde.
However, after seeing his red card against Barcelona last night, the chain of command might be having second thoughts.