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Chelsea are reportedly close to completing a move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
The Frenchman is one of the Blues' top targets this summer. He has been heavily linked with a move away from Sevilla in recent months.
According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Jules Kounde has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is ready to sign a five-year contract with the Premier League giants. The Blues are, however, yet to reach an agreement with Sevilla.
Chelsea initially offered €30 million-plus-Kurt Zouma to Sevilla in exchange for Jules Kounde. The Spanish outfit rejected the bid as they want €45 million-plus-Kurt Zouma for the player.
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Speaking about the potential transfer on Don Robbie's YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano explained:
"They're in talks for Kounde. They're working on it. They were including Zouma as part of the negotiation but they have no agreement on the value of Zouma."
"Sevilla want €45m plus Zouma in the deal. Chelsea were offering €30m to €35m with Zouma. The value of Zouma is the problem at the moment. Let's see what happens in the coming days."
'The next one could be Kounde. They want to sign him with or without Zouma. He has an agreement of personal terms with Chelsea ona five-year contract. He's ready to join Chelsea."
Jules Kounde has quickly developed into one of the most promising young defenders in Europe since joining Sevilla in the summer of 2019. He helped the club win the Europa League in his debut season and continued his impressive form throughout the course of the 2020-21 campaign.
The 22-year-old made 48 appearances for Sevilla in all competitions last season and scored four goals. He was also part of Didier Deschamps' France squad for Euro 2020 this summer.
Chelsea are set to announce the signing of Romelu Lukaku for £97.5 million in the coming days. The Blues will now switch their focus to Jules Kounde as they look to sign a long-term replacement for veteran centre-back Thiago Silva.
The potential signing of Jules Kounde is likely to put Chelsea on par with Manchester City and Manchester United
Manchester United and Manchester City have been the winners of the summer transfer window thus far.
Manchester United have signed a promising young forward in the form of Jadon Sancho and a top-class defender in Raphael Varane. Manchester City, on the other hand, have bolstered their attacking options by signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.
Chelsea are in desperate need of a striker and are set to complete the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan.
The Blues are also in need of a defender to partner Thiago Silva at the centre of defence and replace him in the near future. The signing of Jules Kounde will likely solve this problem for them.
