La Liga heavyweights Sevilla have reportedly knocked back a €55 million offer from Chelsea for Jules Kounde, a target for Barcelona.
According to a report by Goal Spain, Chelsea submitted a bid worth €55 million, including add-ons, to sign Jules Kounde, only for Sevilla to turn down the proposal. The French defender is also the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window.
Jules Kounde might have played his final game for Sevilla after progressing considerably in the last three years. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay at the back for Los Nervionenses since arriving from Bordeaux in July 2019. And in the past year, he has also become a regular fixture in the French national team.
The French centre-back has turned out 133 times for Sevilla thus far, chipping in with nine goals and three assists. But amid skyrocketing interest from prospective suitors, Kounde seems close to the exit door at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. Barcelona and Chelsea are keen on prising him away from the Andalusian club.
Gerard Pique is approaching the end of his glittering career, with advancing age starting to show its effects on the veteran Barcelona defender. In addition, Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza are on the transfer list at Camp Nou, with Barcelona leaving them in Catalonia before embarking on the pre-season tour to the USA.
So despite Andreas Christensen’s arrival on a Bosman move from Chelsea, Barcelona will need to invest in another centre-back. The Catalan giants have been hopeful of securing the services of Kounde as their second central defensive signing, but Chelsea’s presence in the fray has left them in a spot of bother.
Recent reports have suggested that the Blues are the front-runners to land the 23-year-old. And Chelsea recently submitted an offer to Sevilla to sign Kounde ahead of the 2022/23 season, even though, like Barcelona, they have already landed one centre-back – Kalidou Koulibaly.
But Chelsea’s €55 million offer, including add-ons, has not done the trick, with Sevilla knocking back the bid. The Andalusian giants want to recoup €65 million from Kounde’s sale, and the rejection should give Barcelona some breathing room to prepare a proposal to beat Chelsea to his signature.
It will be interesting to see if the west Londoners are ready to submit a bid higher than the €55 million they had tabled recently. If not, Barcelona might succeed in prising Kounde away from Sevilla in the summer transfer window.
