Chelsea remain confident over completing a deal for Jules Kounde this summer, despite late interest from Barcelona.
Chelsea hold a long-term interest in the Sevilla centre-back and he remains Thomas Tuchel’s top defensive target for the latest transfer window.
The club have laid the groundwork in their pursuit of Frenchman Kounde and remain the front runners to sign him, even with Barcelona now registering an interest.
Kounde is likely to command a fee in the region of £50million, with Sevilla ready to accept the player’s wish to experience a new challenge elsewhere.
Barcelona want to bolster their own defensive ranks this summer and are expected to sign Denmark international Andreas Christensen on a free transfer after his contract expired at Chelsea.
The Spanish side are also fans of Chelsea’s long-serving captain Cesar Azpilicueta and left-back Marcos Alonso, both of whom they hope could be tempted to return to Spain.
