Reports: PL club contemplate hijacking 23-year-old Chelsea target

Newcastle United are keen to trump Chelsea to Jules Kounde

Chelsea are expected to resume business as usual on the transfer market front, and it is likely that the first order of business will be to finalise the signing of long-term target Jules Kounde. However, such efforts might not go uncontested.

The Sevilla defender has been Chelsea’s top defensive priority since last year, but a deal so far has proved elusive. Agreeing terms with Kounde hasn’t been a problem, with the Frenchman having agreed to join Chelsea last year, but Chelsea and Sevilla remained apart as far as the transfer fee was concerned. 

It is believed that the La Liga side will entertain an offer in the region of £51 million, significantly lower than Kounde’s release clause. The Blues are likely to oblige to those demands and now with clarity to their new boardroom structure, we can expect negotiations for Kounde to accelerate in the coming days. 

According to the print edition Mundo Deportivo (h/t the Express), Newcastle United are looking to tempt Kounde into considering a potential move to Tyneside. The Magpies remain on the hunt for a central defender too and have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to land Lille defender Sven Botman. 

Reports in recent days suggested that Kounde’s preferred choice of destination is Barcelona, however, those claims have since been refuted by Spanish outlet AS (h/t Football London). Taking into consideration Barcelona’s ongoing financial struggles, it is highly unlikely they can even afford to sign Kounde under the circumstances. 

The 23-year-old is currently recovering from a surgery he recently had for a minor pelvic issue and he is expected to return to Seville by mid-July. Whether he has played his last game for the club remains to be seen.

Are Newcastle in a position to threaten?

Not even close, it should seem. With no Champions League football, it is extremely unlikely, maybe even borderline impossible, that Kounde will consider moving to a club with no Champions League football. 

Kounde is well aware of his career in the French national team too and for him to maintain himself as a regular for Les Bleus in the years to come, he needs to play at the highest level consistently and challenge for silverware regularly. 

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Newcastle unfortunately, for all their history and financially lucrative ownership, are not in a position to fulfil Kounde’s ambitions. They may be in the future, in a few seasons to come – just like how Manchester City did. For now, it makes no sense to even be concerned.