Chelsea have won the race for Jules Kounde and are expected to complete the signing of the Sevilla defender on Friday (22 July), according to reports.
The 23-year-old is set to make his long-awaited switch to Stamford Bridge as Chelsea close in on an agreement with Sevilla.
Chelsea tried to sign him last summer but failed after Sevilla blocked a move due to their valuation not being met.
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"It was clear we tried for Kounde and Saul and it was very, very late but it was a very, very smooth transfer window because I had full concentration on training and on my team," admitted Thomas Tuchel last September.
Kounde has been the subject of interest this summer from both Chelsea and Barcelona, but the Blues are the only side to have submitted an official bid.
The two clubs had come to an agreement over a £55 million deal with the paperwork being finalised, as well as the ‘minor details’ before a deal could be fully confirmed.
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Kounde has already agreed personal terms with Chelsea, but Barcelona’s interest saw Kounde delay a decision to see what their offer was.
Despite activating their second economic lever on Thursday, the Catalan giants never made an official offer for Kounde which leaves him Chelsea bound.
Now The Times report that Chelsea are expected to sign the Sevilla defender later today for a fee of around £55 million.
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Chelsea's offer will not be matched by Barcelona, and Sevilla won't accept anything less.
Kounde will become Chelsea’s second defensive signing of the summer so far following the arrival of Kalidou Koulibaly, replacing the outgoing duo of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
Claims out of Spain suggest Barcelona were afraid of whether not they would be able to register players, which is one of the reasons why they are not pressing Sevilla for Kounde.
As a result, it has seen Xavi’s side ‘practically give up'.
When Chelsea would confirm the move remains unclear due to not currently being in England.
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But with the agreement now a formality and personal terms not being an issue, once a medical is completed and the contract is signed, the transfer can be announced.
Chelsea return to England at the start of next week once they conclude their pre-season tour of the United States on Sunday morning (UK) when they face Arsenal in Orlando, Florida.
With Sevilla, who are currently in Portugal for pre-season, not budging below Chelsea’s current offer to allow Barcelona, Thomas Tuchel is now set to get his third signing of the summer transfer window.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Jules Kounde, Chelsea, Barcelona, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Sevilla
