Chelsea could reportedly go back in for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde this January and “accelerate” their bid for him if Antonio Rudiger ends up leaving.
The Blues have a bit of a worry in defence right now as Rudiger has been one of their most important players in that position, though he’s in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
According to La Colina de Nervion, Chelsea could cash in on Rudiger in January in order to avoid losing him on a free next summer, and that would then see them step up their efforts to sign Kounde as his replacement.
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Overall, Chelsea fans might well view that as a pretty reasonable outcome, even if it would be a blow to lose Rudiger after his big improvement under Thomas Tuchel.
The Germany international hadn’t been first choice under previous manager Frank Lampard, but he really stepped up his form when Tuchel took over and played a big part in CFC winning the Champions League last season.
Still, it would be decent business to make money from his sale when he’s so close to being a free agent, and Kounde is a superb young player who could make an ideal long-term replacement.
It will be interesting to see how this develops in the weeks and months ahead, but it may well be that some Chelsea fans would rather the club worked out a way of keeping a reliable performer like Rudiger instead of gambling big money on a new signing in defence instead.
Despite Kounde’s potential, there’s no guarantee he could come in and play as well as Rudiger straight away, with the Frenchman likely to need a bit of time to settle in at a new club and in a new league.