Chelsea told final Jules Kounde answer as Wolves are blocked for Botman
Chelsea have missed out on the signing of Jules Kounde after failing to agree on a fee and Sevilla saw efforts to bring in his replacement also fall short.
Thomas Tuchel has been looking to add a central defender to his squad this summer. And Sevilla star Kounde is widely reported to be his preferred option as the Blues strive to strengthen their options.
However, agreeing a deal has proved difficult. The Blues are said to have offered €50m (£42.9m) for the France star. But Sevilla value Kounde at nearer €80m (£68.7m) – leaving the two sides some distance apart.
Chelsea lodged that formal offer last week, which was turned down, according to the LaLiga side. But sporting director Monchi has declared that Sevilla also responded with a counter-offer.
That was in the form of a deadline to land the player – set at August 27.
However, Monchi claims Chelsea have not been back in touch and a deal before Tuesday’s 11pm transfer deadline now looks unlikely.
“There are possibilities that he could leave between now and 00.00, the same as his teammates have because of his clause,” Orgullo de Nervion, via Sport Witness, report him saying.
“Yes, there has been interest from a club that the player liked, which was Chelsea.
“The first formal offer we received was on Wednesday, with an amount that did not satisfy our requirements and conditional on Chelsea selling a player.
We responded with a counter-offer that had an expiry date, which was Friday. Since Friday, until now, there has been no contact whatsoever with Chelsea.”
Monchi added: “To the first offer for Koundé, we answered with an idea of our own. Everyone looks after their own interests, and the club has respected one hundred per cent when there has been interest from other teams. And the player didn’t think it was convenient.
“Kounde’s clause has never been €90m, but €80m.”
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Sevilla, Wolves fail to land Sven Botman
Sevilla could yet have agreed a compromise deal to sell Kounde to Chelsea had the LaLiga side managed to sign a successor.
However, after seeing efforts to prise Sven Botman away from Lille fail, Sevilla have decided to keep Kounde.
Botman made 37 appearances in Ligue 1 last season as Lille clinched their first domestic title in a decade.
That has seen the player linked with moves to Tottenham and Liverpool, prior to the latter’s capture of Ibrahima Konate.
However, with Wolves also sniffing around Botman, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says Botman will not be leaving Lille.
That development will also see Kounde remain at Sevilla.
Furthermore, the defender has also reported for international duty with France, further making a transfer this late in the window more unlikely.
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