Chelsea need Granovskaia magic once more as major deal hangs in the balance
Chelsea need director Marina Granovskaia to work her magic once more as a major deal reportedly hangs in the balance with the transfer deadline approaching.
Granovskaia has become well renowned as a master negotiator of incomings and outgoings at Stamford Bridge. Despite signing Romelu Lukaku for roughly £100m, the Blues are still in profit for the summer thanks to the sales they have achieved.
Their recent business has provided them with a squad that should be right in contention for the Premier League title this season.
But even still they are looking to strengthen in the transfer market. They have had their eyes firmly set on centre-back Jules Kounde for a while now.
On the positive side, personal terms have been agreed with Kounde. He wants to be a Chelsea player by Tuesday.
But there has been considerable back and forth with his club Sevilla. A deal was agreed that would see them pocket €50m for the 22-year-old.
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But now the Spanish side are holding out for more money for the France international.
According to Sky Sports, a fee nearer Kounde’s release clause is what they want. That figure stands at €80m, a considerable difference.
The report states a €55m offer from a Premier League club was turned down last summer. Therefore, it seems Sevilla don’t want to feel like they’ve lost out.
Now a deal is completely up in the air. Neither side seem keen to compromise currently.
But these are exactly the situations where Granovskaia excels. Several of the Blues’ recent signings have been made possible because of her.
She has managed to bring down fees for stars such as Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell. Chelsea fans will hope she can do so once more.
Granovskaia shares Zouma message
A potential deal for Kounde is only possible because Chelsea have managed to offload Kurt Zouma to West Ham. Zouma has signed a four-year deal with the Hammers in a move that pocketed the Blues roughly £30m.
Granovskaia shared a message for the centre-back on Chelsea’s official club website after his departure was confirmed.
She said: “Kurt Zouma joined us as a young player and has been a part of so many important moments for this club over the past seven-and-a-half years.
“He showed incredible strength of character to return from a very serious injury in 2016, and he has always been an extremely popular character in the dressing room.
“We thank him for his contribution on and off the pitch for Chelsea, and wish him the very best in the next stage of his career.”
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