9:45pm: Chelsea reached agreement to sign £59.6m La Liga player
Chelsea have reportedly agreed on personal terms with La Liga giants, Sevilla defender Jules Kounde ahead of a possible switch to Stamford Bridge before the end of the summer transfer window.
The West London club are believed to be determined to strengthen their defensive options for the 2021-22 season, and Kounde has been strongly rumoured with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks.
According to AS, the Champions League holders have reached an agreement with the Frenchman on a personal basis and must now settle on a transfer fee with his Spanish team.
Sevilla are believed to value their star player, who still has three years left on his deal at Estadio Ramon, in the region of €70m (£59.6m), which the Blues were allegedly not prepared to pay earlier in the window.
The West London club spent just under £100m to bring Belgian centre-forward, Romelu Lukaku back to the club this summer, while the team are allegedly weighing up a move for Atletico Madrid playmaker Saul Niguez.
Thomas Tuchel’s team will be looking to make it back-to-back victories at the start of the new Premier League campaign when they travel to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.