It has been a frustrating summer for all involved at Stamford Bridge so far, with so much on the to-do list of Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel, no tangible progress has been made.
Although deals for Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake are edging closer, Chelsea have still got a lot of work to do if they are to repair the void left by departing senior players. Tuchel and his squad depart for their preseason tour of America on Saturday, July 9, and there are still plenty of unknown futures in the squad.
With Champions League-winning defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both leaving the club for free, and Boehly orchestrating a complex meeting with Barcelona to sanction the transfers of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, alongside pulling strings to convince Raphina and Ousmane Dembele that London is a better destination than Catalonia, there is almost too much to keep track of.
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That's why Jules Kounde, one of the club's longest-standing targets, is now becoming frustrated with the situation. football.london understands that the French defender is still high up on the list of defenders that Tuchel would like to bring in, but the player himself isn't receiving the attention he would like.
The Blues had agreed personal terms with the 23-year-old last summer, but that was with Marina Granovskaia in place. The influential director has now left the club and Boehly is taking his own active position as interim sporting director, meaning that contacts and negotiations with Sevilla may well have to start afresh, delaying any proposed transfer.
It is understood that Kounde was extremely close to joining Chelsea last season and many felt that the deal was over the line, before a 12th-hour move of the player's value meant Chelsea pulled out. The player appeared unsettled for most of the following campaign and a deal to bring him Stamford Bridge belatedly still seemed likely this summer as Tuchel looks to strengthen his threadbare defence.
The player is versatile along the backline and can play in any of the three central roles in a back three, right wingback, or as an orthodox right back, making him the perfect option for Tuchel as he looks to adapt his Chelsea system for the 22/23 campaign.
However, with Boehly and Tuchel currently preoccupied with resigning Ake, and having to rival Bayern Munich for Matthijs De Ligt, Kounde is still on the backburner as far as a deal goes. With the transfer saga now rumbling on for over a year, the player reportedly feels like time is running out for any deal to happen.
It shouldn't be ruled out yet, as football.london believe this is a piece of business that the Blues may well choose to come back to later in the window, but if Kounde continues to feel left out by the London club, as reported by AS, then it could be one that fades away.
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