Chelsea 'pulled out' of Jules Kounde deal due to 'doubts' before Barcelona move, Sevilla's Monchi reveals
/dnl.tntsports.co.uk/sd/img/placeholder/tnt_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 29/07/2022 at 15:53 GMT+1
Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Kounde on Thursday in an apparent blow for Chelsea, who had been heavily linked with the French defender. However Monchi, director of football at Sevilla, has now suggested that Thomas Tuchel's side backed out of a deal, opening the opportunity for Barcelona to make a better offer.
Chelsea target Kounde set to join Barcelona after club agrees deal with Sevilla
Chelsea "pulled out" of a deal for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde due to "doubts" over how he would fit into Thomas Tuchel's squad, according to the Spanish club's director of football, Monchi.
Barcelona announced that they had agreed a deal in principle for the Frenchman on Thursday in another apparent transfer blow for Chelsea, who had been strongly connected with the player.
Monchi has now revealed, though, that a deal was in place to take Kounde to the London club before Chelsea hesitated on concluding the transfer, allowing Barcelona an opportunity to table a bid of their own.
Sevilla subsequently reached an accord on a club-record sale to the Catalan club.
Monchi explained: "There were more suitors for Koundé at the beginning of the market than at the end, and above all, the one who has stayed is Chelsea, who in the last month have kept us busy and negotiating to the point that last Thursday we reached a verbal agreement and so did the player.
"Football never ceases to surprise you - Chelsea began to have doubts and pulled out.
"They didn't doubt Jules' quality but his place within the squad.
"Everything stopped over the weekend, and then Barcelona appeared. It's important to mention this, but the first time [Barcelona sporting director Mateu] Alemany got in contact was on Monday. He showed his interest in signing Koundé.
"We received an offer that was lower than what we had in mind, but we renegotiated with them and reached an agreement for a club-record sale".
Chelsea have already signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli this summer but remain keen on further reinforcements after the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2022/06/20/3396126-69402693-2560-1440.jpg)
Rudiger promises to bring his 'fighting spirit and leadership' to Real Madrid after Chelsea move
A potential return to the club for Nathan Ake now also appears unlikely.
Leicester's Wesley Fofana has been mentioned as a potential player of interest, but reports have suggested his current club will command a significant fee.
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement