Chelsea have “made an opening proposal” for the transfer of Sevilla and France centre-back Jules Koundé worth around £43m, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are in need of reinforcements at centre-back this summer, with both Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen leaving for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively this summer.
What’s the latest on Koundé?
According to Romano, both Chelsea and Barcelona are interested in bringing Koundé to their clubs this season, with the Stamford Bridge side thought to be prepared to make another bid to sign the centre-back this summer in a deal worth €55m (close to £47m) plus add-ons.
The same update suggests that the La Liga club want €65m (around £55m) to part with the 23-year-old, with the centre-back currently in talks with Barcelona with the Catalan giants’ head coach Xavi still pushing for the Frenchman’s signature this summer.
Chelsea have already secured the signature of Napoli and Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly this summer, but with Tuchel losing two centre-backs this summer, as well as the expected departures of captain César Azpilicueta and youngster Levi Colwill, the club feel they need to invest in at least one more centre-half during this transfer window.
And Romano believes that despite Chelsea’s first bid for Koundé being rejected, they will go in again for the centre-back, despite competition from Barcelona.
What has Romano said about Koundé?
He told GIVEMESPORT: “They lost two important players like Christensen and Rüdiger and they signed Koulibaly.
“But it’s not over because they are in a battle with Barcelona for Jules Koundé.”
“They made an opening proposal to Sevilla for around €50m (around £43m) plus add-ons but Sevilla want more than this.”
Would Koundé be a good signing for Chelsea?
On the face of it, Koundé would prove to be an excellent signing for any side in the world of football, with the defender being an impressive presence for Sevilla last season, whilst his young age of 23-years-old suggests that he has plenty of room for improvement over the course of his career.
The £54m-rated man made 44 appearances for the La Liga side last season, scoring three goals and providing one assist, according to Transfermarkt.
Koundé is extremely comfortable with ball at his feet for a centre-back, and this is shown by the fact that he ranked in the top 2% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues and European competition for dribbles completed per 90 minutes last season (0.73), and top 3% for progressive passes received per 90 (0.81), according to FBref.
Judging by his age and stats, Koundé would be an excellent signing for Tuchel and Chelsea, and it might be in the west London club’s best interests to give Sevilla the money they want, in a bid to secure his services over Barcelona.
