Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world
Chelsea have begun talks with Spanish side Sevilla over a possible deal for French defender Jules Koundé.
The 22-year old, widely considered one of the best defenders in La Liga, has a release clause of £68.4 million. He is reported to be receptive to a move to the Premier League, and wants to play in the Champions League next season.
Negotiations have commenced, although indications are that Chelsea are not prepared to pay the release clause, counting on the fact that Sevilla are facing financial problems and need the money.
Manchester United were also interested in signing him, but Chelsea have made the first move, and their rivals have since reached an agreement to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.
Koundé joined the Spanish team from Bordeaux in 2019 an immediately broke into their first-team squad. Primarily a central defender, he was pressed into emergency service by France during the Euros recently.
There have been suggestions that Kurt Zouma could be used as a makeweight as part of any deal.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.