Jules Kounde admits he came close to joining Chelsea from Sevilla during the summer transfer window – but the France international had little hesitation about moving to Barcelona after preferring the pitch made by Xavi Hernandez to that of Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea's pursuit of Kounde was protracted. Their first approach came in July 2021 with former club Marina Granovskaia leading negotiations with Sevilla. There was confidence an agreement would be reached with the La Liga club yet Chelsea shifted focus and instead completed the club-record signing of Romelu Lukaku.
Granovskaia kickstarted Chelsea's attempts to sign Kounde later in the transfer window. However, with little time to bring in a worthy replacement, Sevilla understandably raised their asking price for the 23-year-old. The fee – around £60million – was not one the Blues were prepared to pay.
