Sevilla have told Chelsea that they will not accept any less than £55 million for centre-back Jules Kounde this summer as the Blues look to bolster their squad ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
Thomas Tuchel is set for a busy summer with a number of high profile departures on the cards at Stamford Bridge. The German has already confirmed that both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will be leaving on free transfers this summer but the futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso also remain uncertain.
Kounde has long been linked with a move to Chelsea with a transfer seemingly likely in the summer of 2021, only for Sevilla to up their asking price late in the day. The Blues would not be held to ransom, however, and the deal was left on the backburner.
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But this summer the France international is once again being targeted by the club. A report from The Telegraph earlier this month indicated that Chelsea had eight defenders shortlisted for the transfer window, but Kounde, alongside RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, remained the priority. Kounde added further fuel to speculation recently when he was spotted by fans in London.
Replacing Rudiger is a top priority this summer. The 28-year-old's future was a running source of speculation throughout the 2021-22 season but after the club's negotiations were halted by sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich, they were left helpless. Rudiger is now set to join Real Madrid once the window officially opens.
But if they want to land that ideal replacement, they are going to have to pay handsomely, although the price appears to have dropped from last summer. While Sevilla demanded £69 million just under a year ago, Fabrizio Romano reports that the figure now stands at £55 million. Not cheap by any means, however.
