Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde admits his failed transfer to Chelsea in the summer affected his performances for a while afterwards.
The France international has shown himself to be one of Europe’s finest young defenders in recent times, and remains a top target for Chelsea in future transfer windows.
Kounde looked close to joining the Blues in the summer, only for the move to fall through late on, and he admits he’s only recently been able to put it all behind him.
“Did my failed transfer to Chelsea this summer affect me? Yes, a little bit, but now it’s digested,” he told Telefoot.
The 23-year-old still makes sense as a priority target for Chelsea, who face doubts over Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen at the moment.
Both Rudiger and Christensen are heading towards being free agents in the summer, and Chelsea would need to replace these two key defensive players if they did leave.
Kounde seems ideal to come in as a long-term replacement and give CFC a world class leader at the back for many years to come.
The likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid have also been linked with Kounde in recent times, however, so it won’t necessarily be easy for Chelsea to win the race for his signature.