Chelsea are in talks with Sevilla for centre-back Jules Kounde. The London club and La Liga giants are discussing details regarding the transfer of France international to Chelsea.
The Blues wants to offer a part-exchange involving Kurt Zouma, whereas the Spanish giants want Kounde’s €80m release clause paid.
Jules has become a crucial part of the Spanish giants back-line ever since the defender arrived from Ligue 1 club Bordeaux in 2019.
The 22-year-old centre-back always looked destined for a bright future at a bigger team, and the Blues have duly come forward with an offer.
The French defender was also part of Les Bleus’ Euros team, although Kounde did not get enough opportunities to showcase his talent fully. However, moving away from the La Liga club and onto England will provide Jules with a top platform to perform.
The Blues only won the UEFA Champions League, and the German manager is building his team to retain the trophy and win domestically. Jules is considered a crucial part of his plan next campaign.
Kounde has played 89 games for the Spanish club during his remain in La Lia and will likely command a significant transfer fee. Sevilla reportedly agreed on a player-plus-cash deal from Tottenham for the Frenchman, with Davinson Sanchez going the other way.
It showed Sevilla’s willingness to sell the French defender. Jules rejected the Spurs’ approach citing their ambitions as a problem for his own.
However, Tottenham returned to the Spanish club and signed winger Bryan Gil with Erik Lamela going the other way along with €25m. The Blues wanted to crack a similar deal by including Kurt Zouma in the part exchange for Jules.
However, La Liga giants do not look too keen to enter another part-exchange deal with an English team. They instead would like the Blues to pay Jules’ €80m release clause.
However, if Chelsea are willing to accept a footballer in exchange, the Blues would still like a transfer fee of nearly €45m for the centre-back. Jules initially dreamt of joining Real Madrid and was waiting for Los Blancos to make a sizeable offer.
It could have been possible, considering Real Madrid have let their main defenders leave this transfer window. Sergio Ramos left for PSG, while Raphael Varane is on the verge of joining Man United, according to a report.
Chelsea have the ambition to match the French defender’s and will undoubtedly provide him with a competitive atmosphere to develop and flourish.
