We had really considered Jules Kounde as something of a done deal for Chelsea.
They chased him for all of last summer and couldn’t agree a price with Sevilla at the last minute. They’ve since had a whole season to negotiate, and with the defender a year closer to the end of his contract, it seemed that all parties would find common ground this time.
But we’re now hurtling towards July, and we haven’t even heard about a fee being agreed yet. In fact, the more time passes, the more Barcelona’s interest seems to become more serious.
Today SportWitness have translated the various quotes from Spain about the transfer’s progress.
They say that Chelsea have been quoted €60m for the defender, while Barcelona president Joan Laporta thinks he can get him for less.
If Kounde really does prefer a move to Barca, Chelsea might get stuck in the queue waiting for Laporta and Sevilla to fight it out over the price, much as they did last summer.
What a disaster that would be…
