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Sevilla chief executive José María Cruz has appeared to suggest Jules Kounde will be allowed to leave the club this summer to join Chelsea.
A transfer fell through in the closing stages of the summer transfer window last year with Chelsea refusing to match the Spanish side's valuation after they increased the price for the France international.
It left Thomas Tuchel frustrated but he knew Chelsea did all they could, however they are back for round two this year with a switch expected following the arrival of the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
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Tuchel will be given £200 million this summer and the defence is set to be the priority after Antonio Rudiger's transfer to Real Madrid was confirmed, while Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso's futures all all uncertain.
A deal for Kounde is expected to be achieved for a fee of at least £55 million and Sevilla's CEO has explained his and Kounde's positions, and accepts he may want to leave to compete with a more competitive team.
He told Sport Witness: “Again, the player, I am sure, respects Sevilla FC. He is happy with us. In the case of Kounde, it is not a matter of money. It’s a matter of him wanting to play in a more competitive team than Sevilla FC.
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“I am sure he is a player that is attractive for teams like Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and these types of teams. He wants to play in a more competitive team.
“It’s the same case we had some years ago with (Clement) Lenglet. He was very happy, but he thought after playing some years at Sevilla FC, he was prepared to go to FC Barcelona.
“The first time we received an offer for him was a season before he was transferred. He (Lenglet) and his father told us they didn’t to leave Sevilla then because they preferred to stay here and play a lot of matches.”
Cruz explained why Chelsea's offer failed for the 23-year-old last summer and insists it was initially down to the finances, although in the long run it would be if his performances continued on an upward trajectory.
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“The case with Jules Kounde is very similar to the case of Diego Carlos. Not in the timing because we received offers for Jules Kounde in the last two seasons but always in the summer market, Cruz added.
“We have rejected because we thought that this player can improve his performances. It was better to wait because the market at the time was depressing. We thought that waiting a while would (help us) obtain more money.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Football, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Sevilla, Chelsea, Jules Kounde