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Barcelona have dropped a major transfer hint after putting Jules Kounde’s name on their club shop website amid interest from Chelsea.
The Blues have been long-term admirers of the 23-year-old, having been linked with a move for the defender last summer.
However, a transfer never materialised and the French international remained in Seville for the 2021/22 campaign.
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With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen departing Chelsea at the end of last season, Thomas Tuchel’s side were in dire need of new central defenders.
However, with a change of ownership, Kounde’s name was not immediately reported.
The Blues were heavily linked to Dutch defensive duo Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Ligt.
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However, Tuchel’s side were priced out of a move for Ake, who was valued at £50 million by Manchester City, while De Ligt decided to join Bayern Munich rather than make a switch to London.
Kalidou Koulibaly was the next target, with the Senegal international arriving from Napoli in a deal worth £34 million.
Kounde’s name has come up in recent weeks as Chelsea entered advanced negotiations with Sevilla over the transfer of the 23-year-old.
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However, the Blues have been dealt a huge blow as reports in Spain stated that Barcelona have agreed a £51 million deal for the defender.
Kounde remains in Portugal with Sevilla for pre-season but is waiting on the green light to leave the club as they finalise his future.
Chelsea boss Tuchel insisted there was no new update regarding their chase of Kounde.
"There is no update, no update," said the head coach regarding Kounde after their 4-0 defeat to Arsenal.
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It now appears that Chelsea have missed out on the 23-year-old as Barcelona dropped the latest hint on their club store.
https://twitter.com/Barca_Buzz/status/1551558428920872960As pictured by Barca Buzz on Twitter, Barcelona made Kounde’s name available to order on their home shirt for the coming season.
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This has since been taken down, with Kounde yet to officially be announced as a Barcelona player, with Sevilla not yet revealing whether a fee has been agreed with their La Liga rivals.
It remains to be seen as to who Chelsea will turn to in the transfer market if they are to look to sign another central defender.
The likes of Inter defender Milan Skriniar and PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe have been linked, however, the pair may not be available in the transfer window.
Tuchel will be keen to make further additions to his squad with less than two weeks to the Premier League season opener against Everton.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Jules Kounde, Barcelona, Sevilla, Transfers, Football