Jules Kounde has turned up at Sevilla's pre-season camp 'unannounced' despite being on the brink of completing a £55million move to Chelsea this summer.
Kounde has been a long-term transfer target for the Blues and after weeks of speculation, a move to Stamford Bridge finally looks set to happen. football.london understands that Chelsea are extremely confident of securing the France international's signature after a £55million fee was verbally agreed between Chelsea and Sevilla earlier in the week, with personal terms settled on a few months ago.
Thomas Tuchel has already added one new centre-back to his squad with the arrival of Kalidou Koulibaly, following Raheem Sterling to west London as Todd Boehly backs the German boss in his first summer are the club's owner. Even with a deal set to be completed between Sevilla and Chelsea, Kounde has made the decision to join up with his current teammates for pre-season training 'unannounced'.
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According to the Mirror, Sevilla were 'stunned' when the French defender arrived for pre-season training. Speaking to The Sun, a club insider said: “Everybody was stunned when Kounde turned up for the bus to Lagos, but he feels he should be a ‘professional’ while still a Sevilla player.”
Sevilla have already lost star centre-back Diego Carlos to Aston Villa, meaning they could loss both of their main centre-halves from last season. The La Liga outfit were keen to sell Kounde overseas rather than to a domestic rival, which counted against Barcelona in their pursuit of the 23-year-old.
Chelsea boss Tuchel admitted he wants to add at least one more defender to his squad before the transfer deadline. Barcelona are interested in signing Blues' duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, but Tuchel revealed he may not grant the former his wish to join the Spanish giants even if the west Londoners can seal a deal for Kounde.
"I’m not sure if I want to give Azpi what he wants," Tuchel explained ahead of Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Arsenal in Orlando. "At some point, it’s also about us. We’ve made the comparison with how much we fought for Koulibaly, a national team player, similar age to Azpi, a hugely important player, and captain for Napoli.
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