It looks as though Chelsea have reignited their interest in Jules Kounde as negotiations with Manchester City for Nathan Ake fall apart. The Blues had turned to Ake as a choice for Thomas Tuchel as he makes up for the loss in centre-backs this summer. Kounde was the initial target, but negotiations fell through somewhere along the line, and Todd Boehly's team turned their focus elsewhere.
With Chelsea close to signing Kalidou Koulibaly, the void left by Antonio Rudiger will be filled. It is now left for Tuchel to figure out who Andreas Christensen's replacement will be, as negotiations with Matthijs de Ligt have also fallen through. Unsurprisingly, the Blues picked things up where they left off with Sevilla. Via Sky Sports, the Chelsea boss has mentioned that the priority is the defence right now, but in order to complete their quest for Kounde, they; 'll have to go through a familiar transfer rival.
Rumours have been around for a while that Barcelona also eyes the 24-year-old Frenchman. With their financial struggles, they are yet to make the first monetary move, and the Blues must capitalise on this.
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It just feels a little bit fishy that Chelsea's main players and transfer targets have also been on Barcelona's list. It's as though everywhere they look to strengthen in defence or attack. The Catalans are right behind them. Chelsea need Kounde more than Barcelona does.
The departure of Christensen and Azpilicueta will leave the Blues with just Trevoh Chalobah playing as a right centre-back. It could also result in Reece James playing a more permanent position as right centre-back instead of at wing-back, where most Chelsea fans would prefer to see him.
The defence is one area where Barcelona have looked upon Chelsea's blueprint toward success, and another would be the attack. Tuchel has been open about his intentions to reunite with Ousmane Dembele - Barcelona opts to give him a new contract which ties him down for an extra two years.
The Blues had also set the bar for Raphinha, knocking Arsenal out of the race only to be beaten by Barcelona who the Brazilian international had always dreamt of playing for. Chelsea cannot allow for the same result with Kounde.
The 23-year-old has been the peak of Chelsea's interests since negotiations fell through with Sevilla last summer. With an asking price of £56 million, there could be even further delays getting the deal over the line.
According to reports, Chelsea was not keen on paying Sevilla's asking price and are only willing to offer €55 million (£48 million) as they did last summer. A bit of desperation may change Boehly's negotiation tactics as the market is short of suitable centre-backs for Tuchel's system.
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