Chelsea are set to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, according to a report in the Times. They claim that a bid of £55million has been made and the Frenchman is set to become the third signing of the summer.
It comes after a long battle to sign the 23-year-old, who has been on the club's radar for over one-year, but a move never materialised. football.london understands personal terms have already been agreed with the defender, leaving just the agreement as the stumbling block until this point.
There has since been the added threat of Barcelona, who have been a constant thorn in the side of Chelsea's transfer activity this summer. The Blaugrana already beat the Blues to the signings of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, while the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Frenkie de Jong could make the switch between the two clubs.
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However, the new short-term economic funding the Spanish side have found put the move for Kounde under threat. But it seems as though, with the new bid going in, Thomas Tuchel has finally won the battle for another centre-back addition.
And, as per Sport, it was in fact the German coach who managed to win over the defender in making the move to Stamford Bridge over the Nou Camp. The report claims that Tuchel had a phone conversation with the France international to convince him of his place in the team and the brand new project at Chelsea.
It mirrors that of what was reported surrounding Kalidou Koulibaly, who the manager is said to have called to convince him to switch Napoli for a move to England. At this stage, the deal is yet to be made official, leaving plenty of twists and turns in the way.
The Blues will be hoping that there aren't any of those heading into the possibility of a third signing just a few weeks before the new season.
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