Transfer News
DONE DEAL: Chelsea Completed the Signing of Jules Kounde from Sevilla
Chelsea have received a fresh major transfer boost as French star, Jules Kounde, has been left out of Sevilla’s pre-season squad.
Kounde has been among Chelsea’s top targets since last year and it looks like he may finally be joining the Blues as he was not included on the Andalusians’ list for the upcoming tour of Portugal.
SunSport reports that the defender is finally on his way from Seville and due to undergo a medical after Chelsea offered £51million plus £4m in add-ons.
Kounde is also set for a mammoth salary of over £10m per year.
He said farewell to Sevilla fans after leaving the club’s training ground on Wednesday.
Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde and it is expected to be completed today, according to The Times.
The 23-year-old defender is on his way to Stamford Bridge this summer and the negotiations are at an advanced stage.
Chelsea have agreed to pay a fee of £55m to Sevilla for the signature of the defender and personal terms are also in place with him.
There was a threat of Barcelona potentially hijacking the deal as Kounde has been a big target for the Catalan giants this summer.
However, Barcelona have made it clear that they will not be matching Chelsea’s offer and have given up on the idea of signing Kounde.
The Frenchman travelled with the rest of the Sevilla squad to Portugal for a pre-season camp on Thursday.
But now he is expected to leave the camp and undergo the formalities of a deal to sign for Chelsea.
The defender has been a target for Chelsea since last summer when Sevilla refused to sell him for anything less than his €80m release clause.
They were open to negotiating a fee a year later and Chelsea are now on the verge of signing him
Intentionally or not, Kounde has been the undisputed protagonist of Sevilla. At first, the player did not travel to Portugal with his teammates for the pre-season, but according to the latest information, the Frenchman has changed his mind and has asked the coaching staff to take him with the rest of the squad.
Kounde is very close to leaving the club. The unknown is what his next destination will be, as he has been linked with Chelsea and Barça. The Blues, in principle, would be the best positioned to sign the centre-back.
Joan Laporta, the ‘Cule’ president, has practically ruled him out. In a video published by ‘Relevo’ on its social networks, a fan asks him about the defender.
“How do you see Kounde’s situation?” the fan asks. “Kounde? No… He’s signed for Chelsea,” Laporta replied.
And it seems that it is not only Laporta who sees it as complicated. ‘Sport’ adds to this information that in the heart of the club they consider “very difficult” the arrival of Kounde, although they promise to fight until the moment when it is announced that Kounde will become a Chelsea player.
For the time being, Barça have secured the signings of Kessie, Christensen, Raphinha and Lewandowski. In addition, the club has secured the continuity of Ousmane Dembele.
The ‘Cules’ consider that the attack is more than well covered, now they are working on the defence. Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Kounde are the favourites, although there are other options such as Pau Torres in case one of them gets complicated.
