Chelsea set to launch bid for Tottenham target Jules Kounde
According to Eldesmarque (h/t The Sun), Chelsea are readying an opening offer for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde as they plot to beat Tottenham Hotspur to his signing.
Kounde, 22, has been with Sevilla since 2019, having arrived from boyhood club, Bordeaux. The centre-back has quickly established himself as one of the best on show in La Liga, having helped Los Nervionenses to back-to-back top-four finishes in the league as well as the UEFA Europa League triumph in 2019/20.
On the back of his fine form, Kounde has also broken into the French national team and is attracting serious interest from several top clubs across Europe. Indeed, Manchester City have already had an offer of £47m rejected for the centre-back while Tottenham are also said to be keen, along with Real Madrid.
And, as per the report, Chelsea are now hoping to beat Tottenham and the rest of the competition to capture Kounde’s transfer. To that end, the Blues are also readying an offer for the 22-year-old.
Chelsea could certainly do with adding to their options in the central defensive department this summer. Fikayo Tomori has made his transfer to AC Milan permanent while Thiago Silva will be turning 37 in a few months. With Cesar Azpilicueta also well into his thirties, he, too, will need his game-time managed carefully moving forward.
So, adding another defender like Kounde would be a shrewd move by Chelsea, more so with Kurt Zouma also expected to leave the club this summer.
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A move for Kounde, though, will not come cheap. As iterated earlier Man City have already had a bid worth £47m turned down, with Sevilla demanding a transfer fee of £69m for their prized asset. Whether Chelsea are willing to meet that figure or try to negotiate a lower fee, remains to be seen.
