Chelsea hired super-agent Jorge Mendes to complete £68M deal after latest breakdown
After the collapse of negotiations for Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, Chelsea, according to an ABC Sevilla report, have once more made it a priority to recruit a top player from Sevilla.
At the start of the summer, the Sevilla star was extensively linked with the Blues, and there were reports that he may be the team’s first acquisition of the transfer window.
However, That hasn’t happened, though. Chelsea is in negotiations to sign Presnel Kimpembe from Paris Saint-Germain in addition to having previously signed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.
In the middle of this, ABC Sevilla reports that Chelsea are once again interested in Kounde and have hired super-agent Jorge Mendes to serve as their negotiator.
According to the Spanish newspaper, Chelsea is still the team “most interested” in signing Kounde, although they might want to exercise caution given that Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are other potential suitors.
Sevilla seems to be hoping for a heated bidding war between the competing teams so they can get a transfer fee that is closer to the €80 million (£68m) (Kounde’s contract’s release clause) amount.
During the summer transfer window of last year, Chelsea was eager to sign the 23-year-old, but their offer was significantly lower than the buy-out clause that Sevilla were demanding.
Although journalist Fabrizio Romano recently stated that the club may target three top central defenders this summer, the Blues are currently in negotiations with Kimpembe.
Given that Thiago Silva may retire in one or two seasons and that they have a busy calendar owing to the World Cup in 2019, the decision is certainly smart.
Chelsea would do well to sign Kounde because of his excellent distribution. The Frenchman has a penchant for making clearances and is strong in the air.
Personal terms might not be an issue if Chelsea and Sevilla were to agree on a fair price. Last summer, they and the player reached a verbal understanding over a long-term contract.