Chelsea could finally get their hands on Jules Kounde after the Frenchman expressed a desire to leave Barcelona.
That is according to SPORT in Spain, who believe the 24-year-old is tired of being used as a right-back by Xavi, and would prefer to play as a centre-back.
It is said that Jules Kounde sees no imminent solution to his problem due to the strong partnership of Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo – as a result, Chelsea could now offer him an escape route.
What’s the story?
Well – according to ESPN – Barcelona are aware that Chelsea could now bid over €55m (£48m) to sign Kounde after hearing of his desire to leave the Camp Nou.
It is said that an offer of that magnitude would be of benefit to the Spanish champions, who – as most people know nowadays – are operating on a very tight financial budget.
Barcelona also have plans to bring Lionel Messi back from Paris Saint-Germain, although Mundo Deportivo believe €200m (£173m) will need to be raised through sales and other means such as sponsorships until any new signings can be made.
However – in the story from SPORT – it is said that Barcelona will only accept €80m (£69m) for Kounde, so we are dealing with some slightly conflicting reports.
Nevertheless, it is a positive for Chelsea that the France international wants to leave, as those at Stamford Bridge have admired him for some time.
Chelsea could finally sign Jules Kounde
Despite Chelsea also needing to raise money through sales this summer – as detailed by The Athletic – we would be very surprised if the Blues don’t make a serious effort to sign Kounde given their long term interest.
Monchi – Director of Football at Sevilla – recently told Sevilla TV that the defender was sold to Chelsea last summer, before a late move from Barcelona saw him instead opt to join the Spanish giants.
Kounde was also a target for Chelsea in 2021 – according to The Athletic – and at that stage, had already been a target for two years with plenty of research carried out on the defender.
Now – with the man from Paris keen on leaving Barcelona – we could finally see Chelsea secure his signature.