Revealed: How Barcelona beat Chelsea to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla
Barcelona outbid Chelsea for a headline signing for the second week in a row, landing Jules Kounde from Sevilla for 50 million euros plus add-ons.
FollowBarcelona outbid Chelsea for a headline signing for the second week in a row, landing Jules Kounde from Sevilla for 50 million euros plus add-ons. The Catalans came in to hijack the agreement with the Blues just as it was about to become final.
The Sporting Director of Sevilla, Monchi, described the course of the negotiations and how Barcelona ended in snatching Kounde away from Chelsea.
"Last Thursday, we had an agreement with Chelsea and the player. When everything was closed, and there was a good offer, everything stopped," he said, speaking to SFC Radio, as relayed by Ruben Uria.
Monchi explained how the contract with Chelsea fell through despite the player and club agreement.
"Kounde agreed on the sale to Chelsea, there was an agreement with the player. At Chelsea, they hesitated and said they wanted to wait. While they delayed it, Barcelona appeared," he said.
"The first time that Mateu Alemany contacted me was on Monday, he conveyed Barcelona's interest to us, we asked him for an offer, and a lower one initially arrived than what we had in mind," Monchi revealed.
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Barcelona initially attempted to undercut Sevilla with an offer of 45 million euros plus add-ons but ultimately decided on 50 million pounds plus add-ons, which is an incredible deal for the best centre-back in the league.
"It is true Chelsea wanted to return, but in the end, Barcelona's offer was better," Monchi concluded.
The 23-year-old defender had always aspired to sign with Barcelona, and the team even temporarily offered his jersey number for sale on their website. It was removed right away.
