Barcelona are set to ‘hijack’ Chelsea’s move for Jules Kounde with the club in ‘advanced talks’ to sign the Sevilla defender.
Kounde has been a long-term target for the west Londoners who saw a move for the France international collapse last summer, before returning with renewed interest as Thomas Tuchel looks to add to his defensive options.
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However, Catalunya Radio, as per the Daily Mail, are reporting that Chelsea are set to miss out on the signing of Kounde who is in negotiations with Barcelona over a move to the Camp Nou.
The news will come as a major blow to the Blues who are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements, having seen both Andreas Christensen – who has agreed a deal with Barcelona – and Antonio Rudiger depart on free transfers this summer.
Barcelona are understood to have agreed a fee of around £51m to sign Kounde and will include a player as part of the deal, with Sergino Dest a potential makeweight.
Chelsea’s move for Kounde broken down last summer after Sevilla altered their asking price for the 23-year-old and the club could now be forced to consider alternative targets.
Milan Skriniar has been named as a potential target and Inter Milan are believed to be open to his sale this summer, whilst Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol are also said to be on the Blues’ radar.
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