Chelsea are preparing to submit an official offer for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde after agreeing on personal terms with the French International.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are set to lodge a concrete bid to sign 22-year-old French defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla, claiming that the offer is imminent and will be put in the next few hours.
Elsewhere, Zouma is closing in on a transfer to West Ham after agreeing on the personal terms ahead of a £25 million transfer cross London-switch. It is understood Zouma transfer will have a domino effect and will allow the Blues to move on with their Kounde chase.
Zouma’s sale would free up room on Chelsea’s roster for them to pursue French international Kounde. Kounde has already agreed in principle for a potential move to Stamford Bridge, and the Frenchman would become the club’s second major addition of the window, following the acquisition of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for a club-record fee.
After coming through the ranks at Bordeaux and spending a couple of seasons in Ligue 1 with Les Girondins, Kounde joined Sevilla in 2019 and has since established himself as one of the world’s best young defenders. The 22-year-old has come a long way in the two years, appearing 90 times for Los Rojiblancos and contributing six goals and two assists in the process.
Kounde’s rapid development earned him a call-up from the French national team to represent Les Bleus at UEFA EURO 2020. He’s one of the hottest prospects in the market, and this has certainly attracted interest from every Top club across the continent, including the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Kounde is an extremely versatile defender; he can operate anywhere in the backline, including the fullback/wing-back roles, thanks to his incredible recovery pace and decent dribbling ability, but he has majorly been deployed as a right-sided central defender in the back-three at Sevilla, which would suit Tuchel’s system in place at Chelsea.
Standing at just 5’11”, Kounde has a surprising aerial prowess as he won 3 aerial duels per 90, which is the highest when ranked among Sevilla players. He’s a fine passer and averaged 70 passes per game with 90% accuracy, making him suitable for Tuchel’s dominant Chelsea side, who normally have a lot of possession in the games.
Chelsea’s interest is understandable given that Thiago Silva is nearing the end of his illustrious career, and Cesar Azpilicueta is well into his thirties as well. Furthermore, Kurt Zouma is expected to be offloaded by the Blues, leaving a void in their defensive unit, which can be filled by Kounde, who can integrate into the Chelsea Starting XI in the longer run.
