Jules Kounde holds out on Chelsea transfer; waiting for Barcelona move after Xavi phone call
Jules Kounde is not in favour of a transfer to Chelsea. Instead, he has preferred a move to Barcelona following a phone call with Xavi.
FollowFrench defender Jules Kounde, who plays for Spanish giants Sevilla, is on the transfer radar, as he has received serious interest from English giants Chelsea. The Blues have reportedly agreed to a £55 million move for the Frenchman with the Red-Whites. Although Kounde was eager to sign a five-year deal with Chelsea, Spanish giants Barcelona has apparently stepped up its interest in the defender and has urged him to wait before finalising his move. As per Spanish outlet AS, the Catalans’ head coach Xavi held talks over the phone with the Frenchman to discuss his plans and that he would be a vital part of his plans at Camp Nou.
The report adds that Kounde is ‘flattered and excited’ after receiving the message from Xavi and has promised him to wait it out until Barcelona clarifies its position for a move for him. Probably, the Catalans are also preparing a €55 million move for the defender and are hopeful of reaching an agreement with him.
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Interestingly, on Thursday, Barcelona president Joan Laporta had supposedly indicated that the club had fallen back in the race to sign Kounde and even told a fan that the Frenchman would be signing for Chelsea. On the other hand, The Blues’ head coach Thomas Tuchel has refused to share any update on the defender.
“There is no news. If there is news about Jules Kounde, I will tell you. I will not start commenting on other players,” informed Tuchel. However, the German asserted that Chelsea would be signing at least one more defender in this window, having completed a move for Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli last weekend.
