Barcelona set to give Chelsea clear path to sign £55m France international
Barcelona appear to have given up in the race to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
According to a recent report from leading transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Catalan giants are not prepared to match Chelsea’s £55m offer.
Not only that but Todd Boehly’s decision to offer the French defender a whopping £8.5m (€10m) salary may not be something Xavi’s Barcelona can compete with.
Barcelona feel Chelsea’s proposal for Jules Koundé is “too important” to be matched. £55m to Sevilla with very good payment terms, almost €9/10m salary on a five year contract. ?? #CFC
Chelsea contracts, ready in Sevilla’s hands since yesterday. Deal at final stages. pic.twitter.com/jkqkOycJJI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 22, 2022
Should Sevilla agree to let Kounde move to Stamford Bridge, the 23-year-old will become Thomas Tuchel’s third summer signing after Raheem Sterling joined from Man City and Kalidou Koulibaly arrived from Napoli.
MORE: Ajax break silence on Man United’s chances of signing Antony
Blues’ fans will be keeping everything crossed that their club can finally reach an agreement with their Spanish rivals. After losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger at the end of the season after both defenders failed to extend their contracts, the 2020-21 Champions League winners are desperately short of centre-back options.
Kounde would prove a versatile addition. Not only can the Frenchman play at centre-back as part of a back four or five, he can also fill in at full-back and that could prove invaluable if Cesar Azpilicueta leaves before the start of next season.
The post Barcelona set to give Chelsea clear path to sign £55m France international appeared first on CaughtOffside.