Chelsea rekindles interest in Kounde as they launch a new bid for the defender.
Barcelona have been dealt with a fresh setback in their pursuit of Jules Kounde, as Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement with Sevilla over the defender.
The Spanish club are ready to settle for the €65 million offered by the Premier League giants, whereas Barcelona are yet to even make an offer for the defender.
However, despite the agreement, there is hope yet for Barça to sign Kounde, who has not made a decision about his future and is well within his powers to block a move to Stamford Bridge, in favour of a transfer to Camp Nou, reports Gerard Romero.
The journalist suggests Kounde had been telling Sevilla all summer that he wants to join FC Barcelona. But amid other transfer dealings in the summer, the Catalans have never been able to reciprocate with a lucrative financial deal.
Chelsea are willing to hand the young Frenchman a whopping salary of €12 million per season. Barcelona, in contrast, can only hand out a figure of around €6 million, which is half of what the Blues have offered.
Romero believes Kounde could be compelled to join Chelsea if Barcelona fail to come up with a lucrative offer. The Sevilla starlet, after all, does rate the Premier League giants highly and is open to becoming a part of Thomas Tuchel’s setup in the coming season.
Kounde even had an appointment scheduled to see potential real estate options in Barcelona. But he has postponed the plan until next week, which suggests the defender is looking to bide his time before making a definitive decision on his future.
Romero believes the young centre-back could come up with an answer tomorrow morning. Curiously, it is the same day when Barcelona are expected to activate their second economic lever to generate more revenue that would go a long way in helping them register new players and settle the club’s debts.