Sevilla director of football Monchi has made it clear that they are looking for a deal worth £65million for Chelsea target Jules Kounde, according to Marca.
After the sale of Diego Carlos to Aston Villa, Sevilla have reportedly managed to balance their accounts this summer.
Marca claims that this means the Spanish club is no longer under pressure and will take their time in striking a deal for Kounde, who is described as the club’s most valuable asset.
Sevilla general director Jose Maria Cruz has previously explained the situation.
“Kounde’s case is not a question of money,” he told the media (via Marca).
“It’s a matter of [his] wanting to play in a more competitive team than Sevilla.
“I am sure that he is an attractive player for teams like Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and these kinds of teams.
“He wants to play in a more competitive team.”
While Sevilla seem to be prepared to allow Kounde to join a more “competitive” team this summer, they are still adamant about doing it on their terms.
They reportedly want €65m (£55.5m), the same figure they demanded a year ago when Chelsea failed to reach an agreement by refusing to improve their €50m (£42.7m).
Kounde also still has two years left in his contract at Sevilla, so the club is arguably still in a strong negotiating position in any transfer talks.
An earlier report suggested that Chelsea will likely agree to Sevilla’s asking price, which is hardly a surprise since the London club desperately needs new centre-backs after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
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