At this point it seems patently clear that Jules Kounde will leave Sevilla this summer, with speculation over his future ramping up over the last week.
Chelsea appeared as if they had forgotten about Kounde after going for him last summer, but since have returned to knock on his door after they failed to make any progress with Matthijs de Ligt, Presnel Kimpembe and Nathan Ake. The other contender for Kounde’s signature is Barcelona, although the Catalans are not believed to have made a bid yet. With an exit seemingly close, Kounde had been left out of Sevilla’s squad for their preseason camp in Portugal.
However it now appears Kounde has taken the decision to go with his teammates. That is according to Relevo reporter Samuel Silva, who says that the French defender wanted to be in Portugal in order to avoid training on his own.
This does not mean to say a deal with Chelsea is off, as the Blues remain confident of a deal being done. However it does match Barcelona’s wishes with Xavi Hernandez asking Kounde to wait for the club to make a bid before making his decision.
Although the situations are not the same, Chelsea will be keen to wrap up a deal as quickly as possible. The longer the saga goes on, the more likely it becomes that Barcelona will be able to hijack it.
