Chelsea reportedly want to complete the singing of versatile Sevilla defender Jules Kounde as soon as Ted Boehly’s £4.25bn takeover of the west London club is complete and UK government sanctions end.
The Blues are keen to finalize the deal as soon as possible, according to reports from META.comwith several defenders leaving the club for free with the Stamford Bridge club unable to extend player contracts.
Chelsea had reportedly reached an agreement last year to bring Kounde to the club, but the move fell through over the fee Sevilla were demanding and the late timing of the discussions.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel has already assured fans that potential new owner Boehly is committed to making Chelsea ‘competitive’.
Tuchel said: “We will share our opinion in more detail in the coming weeks and I am sure he is ambitious enough to build a competitive Chelsea at the highest level.”
“He paid some money for it, so I don’t think he’s willing to give up the ambition.”
Sevilla are reportedly expecting £59m for Kounde, who previously won the Europa League with the Spanish club, and reportedly need around £38m by the end of June to balance their books.
But Sevilla are also keen for the deal to be done quickly so they can bring in a replacement for the French defender.
Chelsea are keen to sign a top-quality defender after the announcements that Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger will leave for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, at the end of their current contracts.