Manchester United have reportedly taken the lead in the race to sign Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde – but Chelsea aren’t throwing in the towel.
With the Red Devils having conceded nine goals in their last two Premier League games, we really shouldn’t be surprised to see them being linked with defensive acquisitions.
While Man United would arguably benefit more from a change of personnel in the dugout, reshuffling the leaky defensive line wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
One man who is being linked with a move to Old Trafford is Sevilla and France defender Jules Kounde, who was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge over the summer.
As is reported by Todo Fichajes, Chelsea agreed personal terms with Kounde but were unable to strike an agreement with Sevilla over the transfer fee.
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The report claims that Sevilla have lowered their asking price to €65m [£55m]. Man United are thought to be at the front of the queue, but Chelsea have not yet given up hope of signing him.
While a centre-back pairing of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire looked excellent on paper, there’s serious question marks over the latter’s ability to perform at the heart of United’s defence.
Especially with Chelsea having benefited from the emergence of academy product Trevoh Chalobah, there really is a more dire need for Kounde at United than in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.