This time last week, reports were breaking that Chelsea had agreed a deal with Sevilla for the signing of Jules Kounde. Seven days later, Barcelona and Sevilla announced an agreement for the French defender.
There 23-year-old had been heavily linked to Chelsea in recent weeks, with Seville-based media reporting that a deal was done between the clubs. Yet it may well be another case like that of Raphinha, where the player’s wishes proved decisive.
20: 13 minutos. Verbalmente, el acuerdo entre el @SevillaFC y el #FCChelsea para el traspaso de Koundé está cerrado. ¿Qué sucede? ¿Por qué no hay oficialidad? porque el SFC, según fuentes del club blanco, sigue esperando tales cifras por escrito. https://t.co/R1GhSis7lC
— José Manuel García (@butacondelgarci) July 22, 2022
Both clubs announced that there was an agreement in principle for the player on Thursday evening, subject to a medical and the signing of contracts. Neither gave any figures regarding the transfer, but most outlets have put the fee at around €50m, with €10m available to Sevilla in variables.
? @jkeey4 pic.twitter.com/6wuQbDzppo
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 28, 2022
It represents another blow to Chelsea, who have missed out on a second target to Barcelona. Given the Catalans are rumoured to be interested in defensive duo Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta, it will be interesting to see whether Kounde’s signing has any influence on those negotiations.
