Transfer News: Chelsea set to sell two first-team stars to fund Jules Kounde transfer
According to Fichajes (h/t Mirror), Chelsea will need to sell two players to fund their transfer move for Sevilla’s star defender, Jules Kounde.
The Frenchman has been a fantastic signing for the La Liga side and has been impressive for them over the years. Kounde has already made 22 appliances across all competitions and has been a rock at the back for the Spanish side.
Thomas Tuchel has built a Chelsea side whose foundation is a strong defence. A player of Kounde’s ability would be an invaluable addition to the Blues lineup.
However, it is believed that Chelsea have to sell two players to generate the money for Kounde’s arrival. The Blues board has been selective about whom they want to ship out to justify the need. It seems Thomas Tuchel’s team have decided to offload Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
But, Chelsea won’t have to struggle to find the buyers for their stars. It is believed that Barcelona are interested in both the players. Whereas Inter Milan have kept a tab on Ziyech and Bayern Munich intends to lure Werner.
It is also believed that Chelsea can start the negotiation with Sevilla for Kounde as soon as the Blues get a good offer for their players. The four central defenders of Thomas Tuchel’s squad – César Azpilicueta, Antonio Rüdiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen are all out of contract in the summer. Therefore, signing a centre back option has become essential.
Chelsea’s attacking problems are evident this season. Timo Werner has failed to hold his consistency in this campaign. The German star has only managed one goal in nine Premier League appearances. On top of that, The 25-year-old has suffered injury issues throughout the season, which has put uncertainty over his availability.
Even though his departure would be advantageous for Blues if they manage to acquire a hefty sum, it’d also hurt the depth of the attacking line up which has suffered due to injury issues. Chelsea bought Romelu Lukaku in the summer, but even the former Inter Milan player has failed to keep up his fitness.
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On the other hand, Thomas Tuchel has faced difficulty putting a strong midfield lineup in the last month. The German manager gave a considerable start to Hakim Ziyech amid the absence of N’Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovačić. However, the Moroccan international failed to provide any convincing performance. But, it’d be early to judge his display as often foreign players take some time to adapt to the English environment.