Chelsea have been warned over Jules Kounde's height as the Blues prepare to make an official offer to Sevilla. football.london understands that Chelsea are ready to launch bids for both Kounde and Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe.
The Blues confirmed the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli last week in what was the club's first defensive addition of the summer transfer window. Despite the Senegal defender coming to Stamford Bridge, Thomas Tuchel still wants to bring another two centre-backs to the club.
Matthijs de Ligt looks set to sign for Bayern Munich despite interest from Chelsea, while Nathan Ake is expected to stay with Manchester City. Kounde and Kimpembe, both France internationals, have now been identified as the men to bolster Tuchel's defensive options.
READ MORE: Sevilla send Todd Boehly key Jules Kounde transfer message as Chelsea make £60m decision
Chelsea already have a verbal agreement in place with Kounde from earlier in the summer. However, negotiations with Sevilla – who have already proven their stubbornness in transfer-related talks – could prove to be an issue.
Last month, football.london spoke to Spanish football expert Sid Lowe about Kounde's credentials and what he could bring to Chelsea. "I think Kounde is a wonderful footballer," Lowe said in June. "You get a defender who reads the game well, who's good at the defensive stuff as well.
"Part of the issue might be how exactly you want to satisfy him because he wants to play the game. He sometimes has this – what appears to be – a free role from centre-back.
"He loves to come out, he uses the ball really well, he very much seems to enjoy playing, and he defends very well as well. I don't think he's a modern centre-back, certainly from a Spanish point of view, in the sense of the obsession of bringing the ball out from the back, although he can absolutely do that.
"He likes to carry the ball out from the back rather than being the passer. So, for example, he's not the same as Pau Torres or Gerard Pique. I've watched a lot of games this season from right behind the goal, and every time, I've been really impressed with his ability to take the ball in compromising positions, to run his way out if he gets put under too much pressure. Physically, he's very good and technically, I think he's excellent."
Standing at 5ft 10in (as per Wikipedia), Kounde isn't exactly the tallest centre-back. The Premier League is renowned for being a physical league when it comes to pumping the ball into the box and looking for big strikers to get on the end of it. However, this has changed somewhat over the last 10 years or so.
Either way, the France international would face a completely different challenge should he move to England. It's one that will be new to him but one Lowe is really interested in witnessing.
"I suppose the only concern for him might be, as centre-backs go, certainly in the Premier League, he's not very big," he added. "That said, he's a good athlete and can jump high. He wins his fair share of headers, but not loads.
"It will be interesting to see him in a much more frontal game. When the ball is in the air more, it's much more into the box. It's not so much about sweeping things up as being confronted by the ball coming to you. I think he does these things that really stand out - his dribbling out from the back, his willingness to use the ball, and so on. He manages to do them, even though they're things that stand out, with them not being so showy, without it feeling like he's making a fuss."
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