Chelsea's transfer window has gathered heat at a rapid pace and the fears over Todd Boehly's decision to make himself interim sporting director is being vindicated as he closes in on three quickfire signings.
The Blues had a frustrating start to the window, missing out on Raphinha with a late push from Barcelona, and being similarly shunted aside by the Spaniards in an approach for Ousmane Dembele. Thomas Tuchel will soon have three new players on his preseason tour of America though.
With an announcement for Raheem Sterling expected soon, Nathan Ake following shortly after and Kalidou Koulibaly's acceleration towards a move to London, fears over falling behind rival clubs this summer have calmed.
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Initial questions had been asked as to the suitability of Chelsea's new American co-owner to a role as transfer specialist and negotiator, especially after the tight ship that Marina Granovskaia kept in these dealings. Those doubts have quickly subsided though, and Chelsea fans are beginning to get excited with the shape of their new squad.
However, the conception that Boehly has been completely successful would be wrong. Chelsea acted well to jump the queue for Raphinha, and the American has been praised for his speed and conduct during talks with Europe's top clubs, but the failure to make any progress with Sevilla defender Jules Kounde has raised some eyebrows.
The Frenchman has been a long standing target for Tuchel and was set to join last summer before a last minute shift of price from Sevilla saw him remain in Spain. Even with the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich by the UK government and the valuable time taken away from proceedings with the sale of the club, Kounde was expected to remain a key man this summer as Chelsea looked to reinforce their defence.
The tables have turned though, and once again Barcelona appear to have beaten the Blues to a transfer, with Gerard Romero reporting that a deal has been agreed for the player. It is uncertain as to if this is a price agreement or whether Kounde has settled on personal terms.
Speaking on Twitch, Romero has also said that the clubs are discussing other ways around structuring the deal, with Serginio Dest and Memphis Depay mentioned.
It would seem that Chelsea are happy with the defensive business they are conducting, and with multiple options still available outside of Koulibaly and Ake, which we are counting as all but done, missing out on Kounde isn't the end of the world, and perhaps it reveals another element to Boehly's smart thinking.
Chelsea aren't going to be held to ransom by anybody, and with the extensive list of players they are interested in, there's always another target to go for. Plus, if Tuchel is set on adding three centre backs to his squad, then it does continue to open up the chance that Levi Colwill is given an opportunity to develop at the club next season.
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