Fabrizio Romano has claimed on his YouTube channel that Chelsea’s battle for Jules Kounde is beginning to mirror their pursuit of Raphinha.
The Blues agreed a fee with Leeds United for the Brazillian way before any other side, however his personal desire to play for Barcelona saw the move stall long enough for the Catalan side to come to an agreement.
The two clubs are chasing the same player again with Kounde, with the Blues registering interest in a deal over a year ago.
Thomas Tuchel is becoming desperate to add more defenders to his squad, with the new Premier League season just a couple of weeks away.
However, Romano has stated that while the offer the club have made Sevilla for the defender is good, the lack of confirmation is bringing up worries that the deal will be complete.
Kounde situation mirroring Raphinha
He said: “I have a feeling that it could be a new kind of Raphinha battle. I don’t know how it’ll end up, but again Chelsea and Barcelona on the same player, and this is exactly what happened.
“Chelsea submitted an official proposal on Wednesday afternoon for £55m, and discussed all the details of this proposal. Very good payment terms, but also structure of the deal, so in direct discussions with Sevilla, but still waiting for the green light. They feel they did their best.
“They know that Barcelona are still pushing with Jules Kounde. They are still in contact with people close to the player. Still no official bid to Sevilla, but let’s see what happens in the next hours.”
Losing out on another player to Barcelona would be a damning sign of where they currently sit in the transfer market, with the Blues looking to remain big players despite the departure of Roman Abramovich.
If they do miss out on the 23-year-old, the club are linked with Josko Gvardiol, although it may be another drawn out saga, with Leipzig adamant they don’t want to sell the young Croatian.
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