Aston Villa are reportedly eyeing up an ambitious potential summer transfer window move for Barcelona defender Jules Kounde, who has also been linked with Chelsea recently.
The France international has not quite lived up to expectations during his time at the Nou Camp, despite looking such an elite talent at former club Sevilla, where he became regarded as one of the top young defenders in the world.
Chelsea still like Kounde, according to Sport.fr, but it now seems that Villa duo Monchi and Unai Emery are keen to use their connections with Kounde to be reunited with him at Villa Park in a deal that could cost around €55-60million, according to Todo Fichajes.
Kounde could do well to try a move like this to revive his career, with Emery doing tremendous work at Villa to turn them into serious top four contenders, improving so many of the players he’s worked with during his time at the Midlands club.
Kounde transfer: Should the Barcelona defender choose Villa or Chelsea?
Looking at the Premier League table right now, Villa over Chelsea probably seems like a bit of a no-brainer if you’re Kounde, but could the Blues still lure the 25-year-old to Stamford Bridge with the promise of a key role in their ambitious long-term project?
While this is clearly not the Chelsea of old, or not yet anyway, the owners clearly have a long-term plan in place that has seen them invest huge sums of money in players who could yet deliver on their potential, even if it’s not happened just yet.
Kounde would actually be one of the more experienced members of the CFC squad if he were to join, so his influence could be helpful for the young players around him, whilst also giving him a fresh start after struggling with the big expectations and high standards at Barca.