Jules Kounde has dropped the biggest hint yet that his exit from Sevilla is imminent.
This is despite his destination not yet being 100% confirmed amid an ongoing battle between Chelsea and Barcelona. football.london understands that the Blues are in advanced negotiations with Sevilla over a deal which could see Todd Boehly fork out £50million for the Frenchman.
With personal terms being done a long-time ago, a fee is the only stumbling block currently. Barcelona whilst not tabling an official offer as of yet, have told the 23-year-old to 'reject' Chelsea's proposal - a request that is likely to fall on deaf ears with Kounde happy to move to either destination despite remaining in Spain being his number one priority.
However, with no imminent bid forthcoming, it's full steam ahead for Chelsea to potentially close a deal with a 'frustrated' Monchi and a long drawn-out transfer saga that stems back to the 2021/22 summer transfer window. As well as Julen Lopetegui's exit admission that he delivered on Wednesday morning upon news breaking that their number 23 was training alone, away from the squad ahead of their next pre-season journey continuing this Thursday, Kounde has now all but confirmed his exit from Andalusia when he was confronted by a group of supporters upon his exit from the training facilities in the afternoon.
READ MORE: Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui decision hints at Jules Kounde's Chelsea transfer being 'done deal'
Kounde, whilst driving his car out of the Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios, was congratulated for his impending big move away with a fan saying to him: "Good luck wherever you go, have a great time. He responded with a "thank you", in a video that has gone viral on social media.
Another fan then pleaded with the central defender to not stay within Spain amid the tenuous Barcelona rumours. The supporter was quoted saying: “Not to Barca Jules, Please not to Barca."
The 23-year-old did not respond to that fan, whether that's a good sign or not for Chelsea fans remains to be seen. After signing all the autographs from his fans he then left the training facilities. The main question now is which team will he join up with if he jets off to the USA in the forthcoming days?
Chelsea are currently in Orlando ahead of their pre-season fixture against MLS side Charlotte FC whilst Barca are in For Lauderdale where they have just opened their American tour with a 6-0 thumping victory of David Beckham's Inter Miami. The answer to where he could be jetting off is looking like the former of the two destinations with Gianluca Di Marzio now clarifying that the Blues are now 'closing' in on a deal whilst Barca consider their alternatives with Arsenal's William Saliba touted.
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