Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues close to completing €60 million move for Jules Kounde; club suffer setback in pursuit of Barcelona midfielder, and more - 25 January 2022

Chelsea registered a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Goals from Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva helped the Blues stay third in the Premier League table after 24 games. However, they trail league leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand, by ten points.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are close to completing a €60 million move for Jules Kounde. Elsewhere, the Blues have suffered a setback in their pursuit of a Barcelona midfielder.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 25th January 2022.

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Chelsea close to completing €60 million move for Jules Kounde

Chelsea are close to completing a €60 million move for Jules Kounde.

Chelsea are close to completing a €60 million move for Jules Kounde, according to Caught Offside via Tuttomercatoweb. The 23-year-old was very close to joining the Blues last summer. The London side were in an advanced stage of negotiations with Sevilla when the La Liga side hiked their asking price for the Frenchman.

Chelsea were forced to abandon their pursuit, and Kounde ended up staying in Spain. However, the Blues have retained their interest in the 23-year-old, who has gone from strength to strength this season. The London side are in a precarious situation with their backline, with three of their first-team stars facing uncertain futures.

Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen are all in the final six months of their contracts. The Premier League giants have been unsuccessful in their attempts to renew their deals yet. Manager Thomas Tuchel desperately needs reinforcements to offset their impending departures.

Chelsea have returned to the negotiating table for Kounde, as a result, and are moving swiftly to conclude a deal. The Blues are likely to finalise terms for a summer move in the coming days.

Kounde will stay at Sevilla till the end of the season, quite similar to the Christian Pulisic deal. The London side signed the American from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019, but he arrived at Stamford Bridge later that summer.

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Blues suffer setback in pursuit of Frenkie de Jong

Chelsea have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.

Chelsea have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, according to talkSPORT via Marca. The Dutchman has blown hot and cold since joining Barcelona in 2019. He has scored twice and assisted as many times in 26 appearances across competitions.

However, the Blaugrana are apparently willing to let him leave, and that has got the Blues interested. However, Bayern Munich have now joined the race for the 24-year-old.

The Bavarians are eager to take De Jong to the Allianz Arena this month. However, the Bundesliga giants are willing to wait till the summer if a deal fails to materialise in January. Bayern Munich believe the 24-year-old would be ideal in their midfield.

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Ross Barkley advised to leave Chelsea

Gabriel Agbonlahor has advised Barkley to leave Chelsea.

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has advised Ross Barkley to leave Chelsea. The Englishman has failed to break into the Blues starting lineup, and is a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge. He has made only 12 appearances across competitions this season.

Speaking to talkSPORT, as relayed by The Chelsea Chronicle, Agbonlahor has asked Barkley to return to his former club Everton.

“He should be gone now. Go somewhere in the Premier League, and play football. He’s not going to get into that Chelsea side… He needs to go somewhere now and play some football. What better than going to your old club that you love?,” said Agbonlahor.

Chelsea have a stacked midfield, so it's unlikely that the 33-year-old Barkley would break into Tuchel's team in the second half of the season. Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Jorginho are all ahead of the Englishman in the pecking order.