Chelsea are expected to reignite their interest in Jules Kounde during the January transfer window, having missed out on the ace this summer, despite being close to an agreement, according to ESPN.
ESPN report that the Blues will return for the centre-back’s services if Sevilla lower their asking price back to around €50m, after a late turnaround shattered hopes of a deal this summer.
Kounde has been exceptional since joining Sevilla from Bordeaux in the summer of 2019, wasting no time at all as he’s proven that he’s worth considerably more than the €25m they paid for him, per Goal.
ESPN state that Chelsea were close to reaching an agreement with the Andalusian outfit for Kounde this summer that was to be worth around €50m, plus add-ons, but Sevilla then pointed back to the 22-year-old’s €80m release clause, despite seeming open to a deal below this mark throughout the window.
Kounde has helped Sevilla to fourth-placed finishes in La Liga in his first two seasons with the Spanish club, impressing enough to break into the France squad this summer, winning three caps to date.
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ESPN note that Sevilla’s late summer U-turn was partly influenced by Chelsea’s £25m sale of Kurt Zouma to West Ham, as that left the Blues in more need of a centre-back and with extra funds.
Kounde has made two appearances for the La Liga outfit so far this season, playing every minute of their wins against Rayo Vallecano and Getafe before being left out as the window drew to a close vs Elche.
It would be interesting to see how Kounde would fare in the Premier League, he’s undersized for a usual centre-back as he stands at 5’10, but the Frenchman has not let this be an issue in his career to date.
ESPN add that the Blues agreed the ‘framework’ of a four or five-year contract with Kounde before Sevilla’s late turnaround, so it shouldn’t be hard to seal this deal if the ace’s price-tag drops back down.