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Chelsea are reportedly keen on signing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. A bid in the region of £55 million is said to have been tabled by the Blues.
The West London club are currently in the market for reinforcements in a bid to strengthen their squad for next season.
Chelsea have currently added the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling to their squad this summer. More signings could still be expected, as the Blues will need to replace players who have left the club this summer.
Romelu Lukaku left on a year-long loan to Inter Milan, while Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen joined Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, on free transfers after the expiration of their contracts.
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While the Blues have already signed Koulibaly from Napoli, it is expected that Chelsea could make do with another defender, having lost two centre-backs this summer.
Kounde, 23, looks likely to be Chelsea's second defensive signing this summer. The Frenchman is currently being linked with the Blues, as reported by The Telegraph.
The highly rated France international is one of the best defenders in La Liga. His defensive attributes could be a huge addition to Thomas Tuchel's team next season.
However, the possible arrival of the Sevilla centre-back could affect the game time of a couple of Blues' defenders next season. As such, this article will take a look at three of them.
#3 Levi Colwill
One player who could be affected by the addition of another defender to the Chelsea squad is academy graduate Levi Colwill.
The 19-year-old had a remarkable loan spell with Huddersfield during the 2021-22 football season. He made 29 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
Colwill is currently with the Chelsea squad on the club's pre-season tour of the United States of America.
The young defender will also be hoping to impress Tuchel and thus force his way into the Blues' first-team. However, such hopes could be greatly affected by the arrival of a new defender.
Kounde's arrival could push Colwill down the pecking order of defenders at Stamford Bridge and could affect his game time next season.
#2 Trevoh Chalobah
The 23-year-old Chelsea defender was one of the breakout stars of last season for the Blues after forcing his way into the first-team.
Trevoh Chalobah reaped dividends from a productive pre-season as he impressed club manager Tuchel prior to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
The Chelsea academy graduate played a combined total of 31 games for the Blues last season, scoring four goals in all competitions.
While Chalobah will be hoping to improve his achievements from last season, his plans could be affected by the possible arrival of Kounde.
The Sevilla player operates in a right-centre-back position just like Chalobah. Kounde will likely start in the right-centre-back slot next season if he moves to Stamford Bridge.
Recall that Chalobah operated predominantly as a right-centre-back alongside former teammate Andreas Christensen last season.
With the Denmark international now departing for Barcelona, Chalobah will be hoping to make the position his own. However, Kounde's arrival could greatly affect his chances.
#1 Cesar Azpilicueta
Another Chelsea player who could be affected by the possible signing of Kounde is club captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
The Spaniard is currently attracting interest from Barcelona, but Blues manager Tuchel doesn't look keen on losing his captain.
Should Azpilicueta be convinced to remain with Chelsea next season, he could face competition for the right-centre-back position with Kounde.
The 32-year-old defender is no longer preferred to Reece James in the right-wing-back position. This means that the only visible spot for Azpilicueta is at right-centre-back.
Considering Kounde's youthfulness and also the possible transfer fee he could command, it wouldn't be wise for him to sit on the bench next season. As such, he could be favored to play ahead of the Blues' captain Azpilicueta.
