Jules Kounde’s representatives have reportedly warned Chelsea they must make more of an effort to sign the defender as talks continue to drag.
The Blues thought they had sealed a deal to sign Kounde last summer with personal terms agreed but they couldn’t reach an agreement with the La Liga side.
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But Chelsea are back in for the centre-back after losing both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers to the Spanish league.
The 23-year-old again impressed for Sevilla over the past season with two goals in his 32 appearances as a centre-back, and Sevilla general manager Jose Maria Cruz de Andres recently admitted that Kounde had asked to leave.
“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,” Cruz said.
“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.”
But 90min claim Kounde’s representatives are growing frustrated at Chelsea’s inaction, and remain adamant they will not accept a reduced feee for the 23-year-old, with his release clause set at £69m.
Chelsea want to strike a deal closer to £50m but Sevilla aren’t budging, and the Blues’ reluctance to meet the La Liga club’s demands is irritating Kounde and his people, who have made it clear the 23-year-old still wants a move to Stamford Bridge.
But they have warned Chelsea that they need to do more to get the deal done, especially amid interest from Barcelona.
Chelsea ‘are not particularly concerned’ by interest from the Catalans, but the Spanish media has indicated that Kounde is starting to warm to the idea of staying in La Liga.
It’s claimed in those reports that both Chelsea and Barcelona have been in ‘permanent contact’ with Kounde’s agent Kebe in the last 24 hours.
Focus at Chelsea in the last few days has been on securing the depature of Romelu Lukaku and talks over who needs to be brought in to bolster Thomas Tuchel’s forward options.
But the Blues boss does not want Kounde ‘to escape him’ and the club are now ready to ‘accelerate’ talks for their long-term target.
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