Sevilla and French international Jules Kounde is now close to joining European champions Chelsea after agreeing on personal terms with the club.
Chelsea have made the defender their top center back target and the player was previously linked to Tottenham Hotspur but he rejected the Lillywhites as he wants to play in the Champions League next season.
The 22-year-old was considered one of the best center backs in La Liga last season and also played in the UEFA Euro 2020 for France.
Kounde has a release clause of €80million and is keen to join the English side. Manchester United also wanted the player but they bought center back Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. The deal was made official and confirmed yesterday.
Sevilla are looking forward to selling off some players as they are currently facing financial turmoil and selling off their star defender can benefit them economically.
Meanwhile, European Champions manager Thomas Tuchel is eyeing for the Premier League trophy next season and has made Kounde as top summer transfer window target as the contract of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen is running out next season and could leave this summer if a correct offer comes for them. The Blues also sold Fikayo Tomori to Milan for £30m and Marc Guéhi to Crystal Palace for £20 million to make funds for this transfer.
According to reports, Kurt Zouma can also be a part of the deal and could be transferred to Sevilla along with a hefty amount and Kounde could come to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea also sold Olivier Giroud to AC Milan for €2 million and are also looking forward to selling Tammy Abraham. The Blues are currently linked with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland who is one of the best talents in the world right now. If they fail to land the Haaland deal this summer then they might go after Bayern Munich’s star striker Robert Lewandowski