Chelsea have a Plan B up their sleeves if Barcelona somehow collapse and pinch the signing of Jules Kounde from under their noses. The Blues are now working away to seal a deal for the France international defender, who has become Thomas Tuchel’s preferred central defensive target following the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly.
Chelsea tried to land Kounde last summer when they made a £42.5m bid to Sevilla, but the approach was rejected by the Andalusian club.
Now the Blues are back at the table and ready to offer £55m to get the deal done. But Sevilla are making things difficult.
That’s because La Liga as a whole are ready to push for an auction and, instead of accepting Chelsea’s proposal, they want to see if Barcelona match or better the offer.
Reports in Spain suggest Barcelona are eyeing a late move, but Chelsea remain in pole position.
READ MORE: Jules Kounde posts cryptic message as Chelsea battle Barcelona for £55m transfer
Tuchel knows the defender well after helping Kimpembe establish himself as a regular starter at the Parc des Princes.
Kounde is still in Chelsea’s sights and the Blues are only likely to resume negotiations with PSG if they fail to land their top target.
Personal terms are not expected to be an issue although they are yet to be agreed with the 23-year-old.
The Sevilla star wants to pursue a new challenge and is keen to test himself in the Premier League.
He took to Instagram to share a cryptic post with his followers on Saturday, hinting that he was looking to make a transfer.
Chelsea initially targeted Matthijs de Ligt before the window before Bayern Munich pushed ahead with the deal.
That’s when Koulibaly came on the scene and Chelsea quickly sealed a deal with Napoli worth around £34m.
Nathan Ake was also previously considered, but Manchester City have decided to keep the Dutchman.