Chelsea are reportedly still dreaming of sealing the transfer of Barcelona defender Jules Kounde this summer after coming close to doing a deal for him back in 2022.
The Blues could do with strengthening at the back after a difficult season, with a long-term replacement for veteran Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva surely making sense as a priority for the west London club.
Kounde can also play as a right-back and it seems that his versatility is part of what is leading Chelsea to revive their interest in him ahead of this summer, according to Sport.fr.
Additional information and translation from Sport Witness notes that Chelsea had a verbal agreement in place to sign Kounde in 2022, though he ended up rejecting them for Barca at that time.
The France international has not quite looked at his best in his time at Barcelona, so it perhaps wouldn’t be too surprising to see him look for a new challenge elsewhere in a bid to revive his career.
Kounde looked like a world class talent in the making during his time at previous club Sevilla, and it may well be that he’d get back to his best in this Chelsea set-up.
Kounde transfer: Chelsea could also face Man Utd competition for defender
The report also mentions Manchester United as potential suitors for Kounde this summer, and that could be a concern as they’re currently looking more likely to have European football next season.
The Red Devils have not been at their best this term, but they remain ahead of CFC in the table for now, and are the bigger name in English football overall.
It would be interesting to see Kounde in the Premier League, but it remains to be seen if Barcelona will decide they’re willing to let him go, with the 25-year-old surely not likely to be someone who comes cheap.
Chelsea have tended to sign younger players during the Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali era, but a more experienced name like this could help give more balance to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.