Chelsea continue to chase after centre-back Jules Kounde of Sevilla, even after youngster Trevor Chalobah burst onto the scene. Despite having an abundance of centre-backs to choose from, Tuchel wants to add one more centre-half to his squad.
Chelsea have Kounde on their list of top priorities but so far the Blues have been unsuccessful in agreeing a fee with Sevilla. Though, they will make one final attempt to agree terms.
The club are hoping to move on a defender before committing to make a move for the Frenchman. Presently, Kurt Zouma seems the most likely to leave. Zouma is available for sale, though so far his wages have deterred interested parties. Chalobah may be loaned out in case a new central defender is brought in.
Chelsea to pay a hefty price tag for Kounde
Right now, Sevilla are eye a fee between £55,000,000 and £60,000,000 for Kounde. This amounts to almost twice as much as he costed when they signed him from Bordeaux two years ago. Kounde’s release clause stands at £68,000,000 and will rise to £77,000,000 as the deadline draws nearer.
Chelsea’s offers so far have failed to convince the Spanish outfit. Although, their funds have been boosted by the sale of Tammy Abraham. They keep their fingers crossed that a buyer comes through Zouma.
The move for Kounde would provide a solution to the dwindling contracts of Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Christensen. The four of them will be entering the last year of their respective deals.
Sevilla expect Chelsea to return with a fresh offer for the 22-year-old in the coming days. They have already listed Marseille’s youngster Boubacar Kamara as a potential replacement.
Nonetheless, it is still possible that Chalobah’s performance could override the need for a new centre-back. Tuchel has been full of praise for the Chelsea academy graduate.
Manchester United too were in the race for Kounde earlier this summer before agreeing a deal to sign Raphael Varane.
