Reports | Chelsea to reignite interest in Jules Kounde from Sevilla in January

Chelsea are set to make another attempt at capturing Jules Kounde from Sevilla in the January transfer window. At the start of the summer, Sevilla were adamant that any interested clubs had to meet Kounde's €80m buyout clause but the Spanish side's stance softened as the transfer window progressed. The Frenchman arrived at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in the summer of 2019 from Bordeaux for a reported fee of €25 million.

Kounde has gone on to make 91 appearances for the Spanish side while scoring six goals and two assists across all competitions. The 22-year-old defender helped the club win the Europa League in the 2019-20 season.

According to reports from ESPN, the Blues had at least two offers rejected in the summer for the 22-year-old French international. The first offer included Kounde's compatriot Kurt Zouma as part of a player-plus-cash exchange deal which did not materialize due to Zouma's reluctance to move to Spain. Chelsea were very close to agreeing to a deal in the region of €50m plus add-ons. However, the Spanish side upped their demands and wanted the English club to pay the defender's buyout clause again. Sevilla were influenced by Zouma's £25m departure as it meant Chelsea had secured more funds and would be more desperate to sign a centre-back. 

The deadline passed without an agreement found between the clubs and it is understood that Chelsea were left bemused by Sevilla's underhanded approach to negotiations.

According to the report, Kounde is very interested in a move to Stamford Bridge and the French international is believed to have agreed to personal terms on a four or five-year contract. Chelsea remain interested in procuring the 22-year-old's service and an agreement could come to fruition if Sevilla are willing to revive talks at a reduced fee.