Chelsea missed out on another transfer target this week following Jules Kounde’s switch to Barcelona after an agreement was reached in principle.
Kounde was a long-term target for Chelsea, evident after the Blues failed to complete a deal to bring him to Stamford Bridge last summer after Sevilla moved the goalposts which Chelsea refused to agree to.
The 23-year-old was among the defensive shortlist to rebuild the defence that has seen Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen depart from, leaving Chelsea short of numbers at the back.
However, the France international went from the club’s top target to fourth in the pecking order at the start of the summer transfer window.
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Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Ake were preferred by Thomas Tuchel, but Chelsea failed to land either with De Ligt heading to Bayern Munich.
Chelsea managed to land Kalidou Koulibaly, which allowed Chelsea to turn their attention to Kounde to bring in.
But they were joined by Barcelona in showing interest in Kounde, however it appeared Chelsea had nearly won the race after agreeing a fee with Sevilla.
Kounde delayed his decision to wait for Barcelona’s move and it was a call that paid off. Barcelona worked behind the scenes and an agreement was confirmed by the Catalan giants.
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A club statement read: “FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jules Olivier Kounde, awaiting the player passing a medical and the signing of contracts.”
Following the confirmation, Kounde revealed what swayed his decision to stay in Spain rather than make the move to England, putting it down to the conversations with Xavi.
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He told Barca TV: "Xavi is largely responsible (for the decision). His speech excited me.
"I spoke several times with him. The conversations were very fluid and he gave me the feeling that we see football in the same way.
"I'm going to come and hopefully do my best to play a leading role for this club.
"I'm very proud, grateful and excited because I have arrived at a very big club with a team that is also like that.
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"I want to start playing with the team and join my team-mates as soon as possible.
"Sevilla are a great club but Barcelona is one more step in my career on every level, especially sporting. I will try to win as many titles as possible."
Tuchel has now been left scrambling to find alternative targets as another defensive pursuit fails.
Featured Image Credit: FC BarcelonaTopics: Jules Kounde, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sevilla, Thomas Tuchel, Xavi, Transfers, Football
