Chelsea have been handed a major blow on the transfer front before deadline day next week as Sevilla increased the asking price for Jules Kounde.
The French central defender has been eyed up by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel all summer and efforts are in full swing to land the player’s signature before the transfer window slams shut on Tuesday.
Reports from Sky Sports now claim that Chelsea’s hopes of signing the 23-year-old Sevilla first-teamer could fail to materialise with the La Liga outfit looking to pocket a greater fee from parting ways with their star defender.
Sevilla are seeking a £68.5 million payment for parting ways with Kounde this summer and Chelsea are understood to be unlikely to meet the pricing demands with Thomas Tuchel willing to fork up to £43 million to sign his longstanding target.
A lot depends on Kurt Zouma’s move away from the Chelsea camp to sign for his suitors West Ham United which can have implications on Tuchel upping his offer to land Kounde before the fast-approaching deadline.
