Chelsea preparing ‘concrete offer’ for Jules Kounde with transfer set to happen this month

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Chelsea are readying an official bid for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, who is widely expected to join the Blues over the coming weeks, according to reports. Kounde has been a target for Chelsea for over a year and held lengthy talks with the west Londoners last summer but failed to rubber-stamp a move to Stamford Bridge despite agreeing personal terms with his prospective new employers.

Chelsea were unable to agree a transfer fee with Sevilla before last summer’s deadline but have retained their interest in Kounde’s services over the course of the campaign just gone. They are now set to return to the negotiating table with a bid in the region of between £51million and £55.4m which is expected to match Sevilla’s current valuation of the player, according to Estadio Deportivo.

It is said that Chelsea’s offer is set to reach Sevilla ‘shortly’ as the Blues step up their pursuit of Kounde ahead of next season. The proposed move will reportedly be signed and sealed before the end of this month unless any major obstacles emerge in talks between Chelsea and Sevilla in the near future.

Kounde’s current employers are gearing up to ‘say goodbye’ to the defender, who made a total of 44 appearances in all competitions at club level last season. Sevilla chief Monchi has already drawn up a list of several defensive targets to replace Kounde and Diego Carlos, who recently joined Aston Villa despite having been linked with a move to Newcastle for some time.

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Kounde would be expected to assume a prominent role in Chelsea’s back three next season following the departure of Antonio Rudiger, who recently joined Real Madrid on a free transfer. Andreas Christensen is also set to sign for Barcelona over the coming weeks upon the expiry of his current deal with the Blues, while the immediate future of Cesar Azpilicueta is also far from certain in advance of the new campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will be able to push a deal for Kounde over the line to make him their first new arrival of the Todd Boehly era between now and the end of this month. Italian football expert Gab Marcotti recently tipped the Blues to intensify their pursuit of Kounde in order to provide some much-needed stability in defence before the new Premier League campaign gets underway in early August.

“The reality is that Chelsea were very close to signing him before, obviously there are new owners at Sevilla that may impact it a little bit but he has got a big season coming up at the French national team,” Marcotti told ESPN FC when quizzed on Kounde’s future.

“Chelsea want a centre-back with his characteristics, a smaller, mobile centre-back in the back three. If you look at Chelsea’s defence right now, [Cesar] Azpilicueta is out of contract, it’s touch and go whether he stays or leaves.

“Then you have Thiago Silva who is 36 and then you are getting to [Trevoh] Chalobah, people like that. Maybe Ethan Ampadu coming back, who knows.

“They need established players in there and Jules Kounde is someone who they have been tracking for a very long time. I think they are going to do everything they can to bring him over the line this summer.”

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